Crecimiento moderado de la economia, Europa es un riesgo para la economia.
ECONOMY Updated June 6, 2012, 2:11 p.m. ET
Beige Book Notes Moderate Expansion Amid Uncertainty
By KRISTINA PETERSON
The U.S. economy expanded at a moderate pace between early April and late May, though turmoil in Europe and political uncertainty in the U.S. worried some employers, the Federal Reserve said in a report
The economy expanded at a moderate or modest pace in the central bank's 12 districts, the Fed said in its latest beige-book report, based on anecdotes collected from business contacts and economists spread across the nation.
Hiring was steady and manufacturing continued to expand in most districts, with particular strength in auto and steel manufacturing, the Fed said in the report.
"Economic outlooks remain positive, but contacts were slightly more guarded in their optimism," the beige book noted. For instance, while manufacturers experienced gains in production and new orders in most regions, "contacts in a number of districts were concerned that a slowdown in Europe and domestic political uncertainty may affect future business conditions."
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas prepared the economic snapshot based on information collected on or before May 25. The beige book will be used for discussions at the Fed's next policy meeting, June 19-20.
The report noted steady growth or improvements in many corners of the economy, including consumer spending, travel and tourism, agricultural conditions, loan demand and credit conditions, and residential and commercial real estate. Over all, wage pressures and price inflation were "modest," and overall cost pressures eased as the price of energy declined, the Fed noted.
The beige book depicted a rosier picture of the labor market than some recent data, characterizing firms' hiring as holding steady or showing "a modest increase." The manufacturing, construction, information-technology and professional-service sectors appeared to be hiring the most workers. The beige book noted "widespread reports that firms continued to face difficulty finding highly trained or skilled workers."
However, concerns over how lawmakers will deal with tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to kick in at the start of 2013, as well as worries over the European government's debt crisis, appeared to be on the rise.
In the real-estate sector, "outlooks were positive overall, although there were a few reports of increased uncertainty from still unknown U.S. fiscal changes and Europe's debt situation," the report stated.
At its last policy meeting in April, Fed officials said they expected to keep short-term interest rates near zero at least through late 2014 and few appeared eager then to embark on a third round of bond purchases designed to spur spending and investment.
But a rush of weak economic data, notably last week's lackluster jobs report, and a swelling of anxiety over the European sovereign-debt crisis have raised expectations the central bank may take new steps to support the economic recovery.
Some Fed officials have said they would support new measures if they became convinced the U.S. wasn't making progress on bringing down unemployment. Last week, the government reported the economy added 69,000 jobs in May, the smallest increase in a year, and the unemployment rate edged up to 8.2%.
Earlier Wednesday, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said the Fed may need to give additional stimulus to the economy, pointing to intensifying worries over European turmoil weighing on the U.S. economy.
"I am giving more weight and higher probability to a negative influence on our economy coming from Europe," Mr. Lockhart said, speaking in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. If modest economic growth no longer seems realistic, "further monetary actions to support the recovery will certainly need to be considered," he said, though he later told reporters "the bar remains high" for new Fed action.
Vice Chair Janet Yellen is expected to comment on the economic outlook in a speech Wednesday night and Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to testify before lawmakers Thursday morning.
—Michael Derby contributed to this article.