NPR.

Whalen, I know this is a little unusual, but I wanted to show you a series of ink

blots, a Rorschach test if you will about the economy.

Oh boy, I'm ready.

Okay. What do you see in this ink blot?

Hmm, let me see. I see an outstretched hand, so I'm going to say this is the hand of the market, the invisible hand of the market.

Very interesting. What about this one?

I'm going to squint a little bit. This one, I think I see the supply and demand curve.

Hmm. All right. One more.

Oh, this one I know. That is the beige book from the Federal Reserve.

Yes, it is the beige book that obscure collection of economic anecdotes published eight times a year by the Federal Reserve, but peer closer.

Can you see if the economy is getting better or worse?

I see that some of the Federal Reserve districts say economic activity is growing.

And yet in other parts of the country, the economy is softening.

I guess in the beige book this time around, you can see whatever your subconscious wants you to see about the economy.

Well, you know what I see?

It's the Bezier Awards and I'm your host, Robert Smith.

And I'm Wailin Wong. Every time the Federal Reserve publishes the beige book report, we study it carefully, finding the best stories, the funniest lines, the most telling data points.

And we give out awards and hopefully peer into this inkblot of an economy and figure out, is it a butterfly? Or is it more of a monster?

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