Beige Book

The Federal Reserve released its eight-times-a-year regional look at the American economy.

It brims with economic tidbits on such things as hotel rates and e-commerce.

Really! They're interesting! We promise!

The Fed's Beige Book is as bland as the color of its cover, and it's on purpose.

This afternoon the Federal Reserve will release the Beige Book -- it's summary of economic conditions across various regions of the country,

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book is a review of economic trends in the country. The Fed's method of gathering data on the economy is pretty simple, though: Just calling around and asking.