U.S. firms have reported rising tariff-linked cost pressure from late May through early July, with contacts from industries expecting cost pressures to remain elevated in the coming months, according to a report released by the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday.
The cost pressures would make it likely for the consumer prices to rise faster by late summer.
Published eight times per year, the U.S. central bank's "Beige Book" report is a survey on the current economic conditions across the country's 12 Federal Reserve Districts.
According to the report, from late May through early July, prices have increased across the Fed's Districts, with seven exhibiting "moderate" price growth and five showing "modest" price growth.
In all of the Fed's 12 Districts, businesses reported experiencing modest to pronounced input cost pressures related to tariffs, especially for raw materials used in manufacturing and construction. Many firms passed on at least a portion of cost increases to consumers through price hikes or surcharges, the report said.
Contacts in a wide range of industries expected cost pressures to remain elevated in the coming months, increasing the likelihood that consumer prices will start to rise more rapidly by late summer.
The report also noted that companies' hiring remained generally cautious, which many contacts attributed to ongoing economic and policy uncertainty. Though employment increased very slightly overall, many contacts are expected to postpone major hiring and layoff decisions until uncertainty diminishes.
The data released on July 15 showed that the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in June, the largest annual increase since February, suggesting tariffs were starting to have an impact on inflation.
Combined with signals from the "Beige Book" report, concerns about a potential rebound in inflation have been raised in the market.
Investors' expectations for a rate cut at the Fed's monetary policy meeting have dropped below 5 percent, with the probability of a 25-basis-point cut in September falling to 56 percent.
The Fed is scheduled to hold its next policy meeting on July 29–30.
Tariff-related cost pressures on U.S. businesses to cause consumer price hikes: Fed Beige Book
Tariff-related cost pressures on U.S. businesses to cause consumer price hikes: Fed Beige Book
Tariff-related cost pressures on U.S. businesses to cause consumer price hikes: Fed Beige Book
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
