Beige Book Report

Report for June 2008.
Released July 23rd by the Federal Reserve Board.
Summary of regional economic conditions, prepared by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks for use at the central bank's next Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

Business Inventories (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 13th by the Commerce Department.
Measure of the stocks of unsold goods held by U.S. businesses.

Business Productivity and Costs (PDF)

Report Second Quarter 2008, Revised.
Released August 8th by the Labor Department.
Measure of productivity -- defined as output per number of hours worked -- in the business and the nonfarm business sectors of the workplace.

Construction Spending (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 1st by the Commerce Department.
Measure of construction spending on residential, nonresidential and government projects.

Consumer Credit (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 7th by the Federal Reserve Board.
Measure of money loaned to individuals, usually on an unsecured basis, requiring monthly repayment. Bank loans, credit cards and installment credit are examples of consumer credit.

Consumer Price Index (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 14th by the Labor Department.
Gauge of inflation that measures changes in the prices of consumer goods. The index is based on a list of specific goods and services purchased in urban areas.

Current Account (PDF)

Report for First Quarter 2008.
Released June 17th by the Commerce Department
The current account is the broadest measure of U.S. trade with the rest of the world. It includes data not only about goods but also about merchandise and services, as well as some financial transactions.

Durable-Goods Orders (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 27th by the Commerce Department.
New orders for manufactured durable goods and shipments of durable goods. A durable good is a product that is expected to last more than three years.

E-Commerce Retail Sales (PDF)

Report for First Quarter 2008.
Released May 15th by the Commerce Department.
Sales of goods and services over the Internet, extranets, Electronic Data Interchange or other online system. Payment may or may not be made online.

Employment Cost-Index (PDF)

Report for Second Quarter 2008 (March - June).
Released July 31st by the Labor Department.
Changes in compensation costs, including wages, salaries and employer costs for employee benefits.

Employment Situation (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 1st by the Labor Department.
Tally of payrolls and the unemployment rate.

Existing-Home Sales

Report for July.
ReleasedAugust 25th by the National Association of Realtors.
Regional report on home resale activity.

Factory Orders (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 4th by the Commerce Department.
Tally of U.S. manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders for consumer goods. Includes revised report for durable goods.

Gross Domestic Product (PDF)

Report Second Quarter 2008 (Advance).
Released August 28th by the Commerce Department.
The total value of goods and services produced within the economy.

Housing Starts (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 19th by the Commerce Department.
Monthly tally of the number of new privately-owned housing units started and housing permits issued by local government authorities.

Import and Export Price Indexes (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 13th by the Labor Department.
Tally of price changes in U.S. imports and exports.

Institute for Supply Management Index

Report for July.
Released August 1st by the Institute for Supply Management.
Report on the pace of manufacturing activity in the U.S. as a whole and in specific metropolitan areas. The report is based on data compiled from a survey of purchasing executives at more than 300 industrial companies.

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 15th by the Federal Reserve Board.
Output at U.S. factories, utilities and mines. Capacity utilization is a measure of U.S. industrial production as a percentage of total production capacity.

Initial Jobless Claims

Report for week ending August 23rd.
Released August 28th by the Labor Department.
Number of Americans filing new claims for state unemployment insurance.

International Trade (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 11th by the Commerce Department.
Tally of U.S. international trade in goods and services, or the difference between a country's imports and exports.

Leading Economic Indicators (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 21st. by the Conference Board.
Composite of 10 economic measurements developed to help forecast likely changes in the economy as a whole.

New-Home Sales (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 26th by the Commerce Department.
Sales of new single-family houses.

Nonmanufacturing Index

Report for July.
Released August 5th by the Institute for Supply Management.
Report on the pace of business activity in non-manufacturing sectors. The report is based on a survey of 370 purchasing and supply-management professionals in more than 60 different sectors.

Personal Income and Outlays (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 29th by the Commerce Department.
Tally of wage and salary disbursements and of personal consumption expenditures.

Philadelphia Federal Reserve Business Outlook Survey (PDF)

Report for August.
Released August 21st by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Survey of regional business activity.

Producer Price Index (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 19th by the Labor Department.
A group of statistics used to gauge inflation at the wholesale level. The index for finished goods, which tracks commodities that won't undergo further processing and are ready for sale to the ultimate user, is the most prominently reported of the statistics and is released monthly.

Retail Sales (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 13th by the Commerce Department.
Sales of durable and non-durable goods sold to consumers.

Reuters/ University of Michigan Survey of Consumers

Report for July.
Released August 29th by the University of Michigan/ Reuters. A monthly survey of consumer sentiment based on telephone interviews with approximately 500 adults living in the 48 coterminous states plus the District of Columbia.

Unemployment Report (PDF)

Report for July.
Released August 1st by the Labor Department.
Tally of payrolls and the unemployment rate.

Wholesale Trade Sales and Inventories (PDF)

Report for June.
Released August 8th by the Commerce Department.
Tally of the sales and inventories of U.S. merchant wholesalers.