Data Prints
The Beige Book, in the Board’s Words
The latest book the Board has posted, with the national summary copied as the Board wrote it and the PDF left as the primary.
The Beige Book is anecdote gathered by the Reserve Banks. It is not a price index and it is not a vote. This paper prints the Board’s own description of the series and the opening of the national summary as the Board wrote them. It does not turn those sentences into a forecast, and it does not score them for a party.
The PDF is the primary document. A date the Board has listed without a file is left without a file.
Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector. An overall summary of the twelve district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis.
Copied from the Board’s description of the series. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Not paraphrased.
The latest Beige Book the Board has posted is Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The primary document is the Board’s file: Board PDF · Board HTML.
Economic activity increased modestly since early July. Ten of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts reported growth in the slight to moderate range; two Districts reported no change. Consumer spending grew slightly on balance; reports reflected both heightened price sensitivity on the one hand and solid high-end purchases on the other. Auto sales were mostly subdued, dampened by downbeat consumer confidence, high fuel prices, and rising financing costs. Tourism activity increased. Notably, airlines reported strong demand despite higher airfares. Manufacturing activity picked up across most Districts, with some highlighting ongoing strength in demand for defense and data center-related orders. Services firms reported slight to modest increases in activity. Financial conditions improved slightly as loan volumes remained solid or increased across most Districts. Residential construction declined while nonresidential construction increased on balance, with some Districts noting a high concentration of activity related to data center projects. Agriculture conditions saw slight improvement but generally remained strained; the livestock sector was strong while conditions were stressed among crop producers. The general outlook for the coming months was positive, but sentiment was mixed across sectors, with contacts reporting heightened uncertainty surrounding the effects of higher energy prices, policy, and international conflict.
Copied from the Board’s national summary, Overall Economic Activity, Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Board PDF · Board HTML. Not paraphrased.
The next date on the Board’s list is Wednesday, October 14, 2026. That row has no PDF on the page copied here.