Economic activity weak across U.S.: Fed Beige Book
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Economic activity weakened across the United States in September as businesses revised capital investments, consumers curtailed spending and the general outlook darkened, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.
"Economic activity weakened in September across all twelve Federal Reserve Districts," the Fed said in its Beige Book report on the state of the economy through October 6.
The Fed said retailers were seeing consumers pull back while businesses were anxious about the future economic outlook, and that weighed on their capital spending decisions.
"Several districts reported that capital spending decisions were being influenced by economic uncertainty," read the anecdotal report that the Fed uses to help it shape monetary policy.
Markets widely expect the Fed to trim interest rates by a quarter percentage point at the next scheduled meeting of October 28th and 29th in the face of a wrenching credit crunch and broader economic woes.
"Credit conditions were characterized as being tight" across the country, the report stated.
Inflationary pressures moderated a bit in September, the Fed said, while labor market conditions weakened in most areas. The report had a bright spot for agriculture and reported "conditions remained favorable" in most districts. Reports on natural resources were also upbeat, the report said.
(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Neil Stempleman)
