Region-by-region breakdown of Beige Book via MarketWatch

The Beige Book of anecdotes on the U.S. economy breaks down activity by each region. Here are the regional summaries: See story on Beige Book

• Boston: Economic activity continues to expand at a moderate pace in the First District. Most contacted retailers, manufacturers, and consulting and advertising firms report higher revenues in recent months than a year earlier. Commercial real estate markets are mostly unchanged, while residential contacts across the region cite rising sales and declining prices. Except for a consulting firm unable to meet very strong demand growth without aggressive hiring, responding firms are hiring modestly or not at all; a few mentioned small layoffs. Retailers express concern about what rising energy costs may do to consumers’ willingness to spend, while manufacturing contacts acknowledge the increasing costs, but say they are not a problem.

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