What is the Beige Book?

Officially known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, the Beige Book is a report published eight times per year on scheduled days. The 12 Federal Reserve Banks gather anecdotal information on current economic conditions from sources in their respective Districts. The Beige Book contains a summary of the information written by each District’s Reserve Bank, as well as an overall summary of the District-level reports prepared by one of the Reserve Banks on a rotating basis. The Chicago Fed publishes its contribution to the Beige Book on this site.

How is information for the Beige Book collected?

The Chicago Fed gathers information on current economic conditions in its District through roundtables, interviews, and online questionnaires completed by businesses, community organizations, economists, market experts, and other sources. Contacts are not selected at random; rather, the Chicago Fed strives to curate a diverse set of sources that can provide accurate information about a broad range of economic activities.

How is information for the Beige Book used by the Chicago Fed?

Chicago Fed staff use the information gathered from its contacts to assess economic conditions in the Seventh Federal Reserve District and the nation. Qualitative data help to identify emerging trends that may not yet be in the available quantitative data and to interpret existing trends. In addition, the regional nature of data gathered for the Beige Book allows for the comparison of economic conditions across different parts of the country.

Where can I find previous releases of the Beige Book?

For an archive of past Beige Book releases, visit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System site.