Fed Beige Book Signals Margin Squeeze for Consumer Brands

Americans are facing growing affordability pressures, and companies are having mixed results in passing on higher costs, the Federal Reserve said in its May Beige Book released Wednesday (June 3). The Beige Book, which is published eight times a year and summarizes anecdotal information on current economic conditions gathered by Federal Reserve Banks, found that most Federal Reserve Districts reported that inflation had risen since the April report. “Districts noted that energy-related costs tie