(AP) — The latest monthly economic forecast report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s department of economics improved from the previous month, and an economist who oversees the report says it could indicate strong economic growth for Nebraska this summer.

The Leading Economic Indicator, produced by UNL economics department faculty and students, increased by more than three-quarters of a percent in December from November.

Economist Eric Thompson, director of UNL’s Bureau of Business Research, says the increase “suggests that economic growth in Nebraska may accelerate during the summer of 2014.”

The indicator is a composite of six components used to predict future economic growth: Single-family building permits, airline passenger counts, unemployment claims, manufacturing hours, the value of the U.S. dollar and business expectations as reported in a survey of Nebraska businesses.