The Regional Economic Information Network (REIN) coordinates the inflow of economic information throughout the Southeast into the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's monetary policymaking process.
Six Atlanta Fed Regional Executives (from the head office and the bank's five branches) meet frequently with individual businesses and with small and large groups of business people to assess current business conditions and outlook. These meetings providethe Atlanta Fed firsthand information about trends and developments affecting demand, costs and prices, employment, investment, and exports and imports. Collectively, this information helps Atlanta Fed staff form a view of the likely path of the economy and inflation.These meetings also give the Regional Executives the opportunity to explain the Atlanta Fed's views on the economy and to build an understanding of the monetary policy framework and the case for low inflation.
Economists and analysts at the Atlanta Fed also gather qualitative data from periodic surveys of Southeastern business contacts as well as quantitative economic data from government and private statistical agencies.
The economic intelligence gathered through REIN informs the Atlanta Fed's participation in the Federal Open Market Committee, which formulates the nation's monetary policy.