NPR.
Robert, looks like you're packing a lunch there.
It is September.
School is back in session.
And I want to make sure my kid has a healthy and informative lunch.
Informative, you say?
Wait a minute.
Did you tuck a copy of the Beige Book in there?
I can see it sticking out of the lunchbox.
Okay.
The Beige Book is my favorite obscure government document about the regional economies in the United States.
And yes, it makes for great reading in the lunchroom.
I suppose your child can always trade it with the other kids for something more delicious.
Ooh, like the monthly retail sales report or the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.
I mean, those are all the rage among Gen Alpha, but do they have their own award show?
That's the Beige Awards, our eight times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy.
I'm Robert Smith.
And I'm Waylon Wong.
There are storms brewing in the economy right now,
and we will give awards to the Beige Book Anecdotes with the most accurate forecasts.