It was the highest level since April 1989, when the index stood at 52.1 percent.

Its index stands at a little over half the 1987 level.

The nation's best year, as measured in the report, was 1973, when the index stood at 77.5.

The leading index now stands at 145.7, or 45.7 percent higher than its 1982 base of 100.

In 1974, according to the study, the index stood at 67.

It was the highest reading since September 1989, when the index stood at 60.5 percent.

The index now stands just 3 percent above its September low.

The leading index now stands at 186.6, which is 4.7 percent higher than in April 1986.

The reading was the lowest since May, when the index stood at 48.8 percent.

Less than a year ago, the index stood at 107.6, near its record high.