U.S. Economy Shows Uneven Growth and Strain

Federal Reserve's Beige Book, released March 4, reports restrained U.S. growth with seven of 12 districts seeing slight to moderate activity, while five districts stagnated or declined. PYMNTS Intelligence's Wage to Wallet Index and related research show about 60 million workers earning $25/hour or less face persistent financial stress—index 49.4 in February—many relying on side income, signaling constrained consumer spending.