US Firms Still Reluctant to Pass Tariff-Related Costs to Customers, Fed Says

Businesses suggest that prices will ‘rise at a somewhat slower pace in the near term.’

People shop for groceries at a store in Elkridge, Md., on Feb. 27, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Many U.S. firms remain reluctant to pass their tariff-related costs to customers, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report released on March 4.

The Beige Book—a periodic summary of economic conditions across the central bank’s 12 districts—showed moderate price hikes, “with eight Districts reporting moderate price growth and four seeing slight or modest increases.”