The FED's Beige Book document, which is closely followed by traditional markets and the cryptocurrency market, has finally been published. Here are the notable sections from the content of the document:
- Prices generally continued to increase at a modest pace.
- Most regions reported little or no change in economic activity since the September report.
- Consumer spending looks mixed, particularly in the automotive and general retail sectors.
- Tightness in the labor market continued to decrease across the country.
- Many regions reported a decrease in the number of companies expecting significant price increases going forward.
- The near-term outlook for the economy has generally been described as stable or slightly weaker growth.
- Regions noted that input cost increases have slowed or stabilized for manufacturers but continue to rise for service sector firms.
- Increases in fuel costs, wages and insurance across regions contributed to the increase in prices. Sales prices have increased more slowly than input prices as businesses have had difficulty reflecting cost pressures as consumers have become more price sensitive.
- As a result, companies have found it difficult to maintain their desired profit margins. In general, firms expect prices to increase over the next few quarters, but at a slower rate than in the previous few quarters.
It is updated as additional information becomes available…
The Fed's Beige Book document, more formally known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions, is a report published eight times a year by the United States Federal Reserve Board of Governors. This report provides a qualitative assessment of economic conditions, drawing on reports from 12 regional banks.
*This is not investment advice.