If the Conference Board's Leading Economic Index is doing its job, maybe the economy is indeed getting better.

The private research group says its index, which is supposed to signal how things will be in six to nine months, rose 0.6% in August from July. It's the fifth month in a row that the index went up.

According to the board, the index was pushed higher by data on how long it's taking suppliers to make deliveries, the "spread" between long- and short-term interest rates, rising stock prices, increases in building permits and an improvement in "consumer expectations."

Over at Planet Money, Laura Conaway says the report could be a sign of "brighter times ahead."