Economy muddled along during the shutdown, the Fed found. Is another rate cut on tap?

Just two weeks before a pivotal meeting, the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy has been just muddling along. Few businesses are hiring, inflation is still a sore spot and households have cut back on spending.

These were the findings of the Fed’s periodic view of the economy,

known as the beige book. The report could play a bigger role than usual in how top officials assess the economy when they debate whether to cut interest rates again at their final meeting of the year on Dec. 9-10.