The Week Ahead: Spotlight on Economic Trends

On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, the Federal Reserve will release the latest data on the economy through its Beige Book. Published eight times in a year, the Beige Book presents a summary of economic conditions and activity, which are based on reports from the various Federal Reserve district banks, who gather anecdotal information on current economic conditions in their district.

According to the Federal Reserve, "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."

The last Beige Book was released in July 2018 and indicated that the national economy expanded across the U.S. with 10 of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts reporting moderate to modest growth. In terms of housing, the Beige Book revealed, "Contacts in several Districts reported slow growth in existing home sales but were not overly concerned about rising interest rates." It said that employment continued to rise at a modest to moderate pace with districts reporting that firms had difficulty finding qualified labor, especially in specialized construction, manufacturing, IT, and transportation.

Here's what else is happening in The Week Ahead:

 

• Consumer Credit Survey Monday, 3 p.m. ET
• MBA Mortgage Apps, Wednesday, 7 a.m. ET
• Fed Beige Book, Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET
• Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Thursday, 10 a.m. ET
• Senate Banking Committee Hearing on Implementation of the Dodd-Frank Roll Back, Thursday, 10 a.m. ET
• Treasury Budget, Thursday, 2 p.m. ET

 

Read more about the Dodd-Frank Act:

Industry Sounds Off on Dodd-Frank Reform Bill