beige book

The U.S. economy started the year off well with busier factories, higher retail sales, more jobs and growth in home sales. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that all 12 of its banking districts reported some level of growth in January and the first half of February. Manufacturing output rose in all districts. Auto manufacturing, steel makers and other metal producers all reported solid growth.

The final weeks of 2011 were among the economy's strongest as Americans shopped and traveled more, ending the year with a shot of optimism for 2012. That's the bright picture the Federal Reserve sketched in a survey released Wednesday.

Alcoa, Intel and JPMorgan Chase will kick off a new earnings season this week when they report their results for the fourth quarter of 2010. Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect, followed by a glance at what's coming up on the economic calendar.

The Fed%u2019s latest Beige Book report finds that economic growth has increased but also that the economy is still growing well below its potential and too slowly to substantially lower unemployment.

Black Friday has come and gone and the holiday shopping season is off and running. In addition to keeping on eye on how retailers are doing, there will be plenty of economic data for analysts and investors to peruse on this week. Highlights include new numbers on manufacturing, employment and new vehicle sales.

The Fed's latest Beige Book report confirms what earlier economic data has indicated. Eight of the 12 regional Fed banks, including San Francisco and Chicago, reported some form of growth in the September/October period. But nothing to write home about.

Third-quarter reports are due from tech, financial, airline and pharmaceutical companies, among others. Here's a day-by-day rundown of the coming earnings highlights, with a closer look at Harley-Davidson, Netflix and Southwest Airlines.

The Fed%u2019s latest Beige Book report provided more evidence of what other recent economic data had indicated: That the U.S. economy slowed over the summer, but it's still growing at a modest pace.

Initial jobless claims fell a better-than-expected 11,000 to 457,000, but continuing claims rose 81,000 to 4.57 million, the Labor Department reports. Among with the economy, the unemployment outlook remains uncertain.

The Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book data confirms what other recent economic reports have suggested: The U.S. economic recovery slowed somewhat in the second quarter, with some regions reporting stalled conditions.