Federal Reserve’s Beige Book reveals key findings in April 2025

The Federal Reserve, which controls the U.S. monetary system, is heavily focused on data analysis to make important decisions regarding the national economy. The central bank’s twelve district banks located across the country sift through local and regional data to provide valuable research insights on various topics, such as economic inequality.

Every year, the Federal Reserve publishes the Beige Book eight times, offering a snapshot of current economic sentiment in each of its twelve regions. For journalists, the Beige Book serves as a rich source of potential story ideas at the local, regional, and national levels, especially for those covering economic issues since economic conditions can rapidly change on a wide scale.

The April 2025 edition of the Beige Book specifically presents opportunities for story ideas across different sectors including business, tourism, transportation, vocational training, and food industries. The book compiles reports from Federal Reserve district directors as well as feedback from interviews and surveys conducted with business owners, community groups, and economists.

The book’s authors refer to the surveyed individuals as “contacts,” with their statements quoted anonymously. While the Beige Book does not have a specific quota for the number of contacts required to compile a release, it’s usually based on insights from numerous sources in surveys and conversations. The book aims to include inputs from a diverse set of sources to depict an accurate and unbiased portrayal of a broad range of economic activities.

The latest edition of the Beige Book, made public on April 23rd, captured information gathered in parts of March and April. Across different regions, international tourism is on a decline, with businesses facing significant uncertainties related to tariff policies. Companies spanning various sectors are grappling with increased production costs, planning to transfer as much of the price hikes to consumers as possible.

The current economic landscape, characterized by President Donald Trump’s wavering tariff decisions, has created uncertainty, making it challenging for businesses to commit to hiring new employees or making significant purchases. The unpredictable tariff policies have left many companies in limbo, unsure about the feasibility of expansions or upgrades in manufacturing and technology sectors.

In summary, the insights from the latest Beige Book reveal interesting story angles across economic, industrial, and regional spectrums that can guide journalists in crafting compelling reports on the rapidly changing financial scenario.