Gary Siegel

Texas service sector activity “increased again in November,” according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index rose to 24.4 from 19.2.

Service sector activity “continued to see strong growth in November,” according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

The consumer confidence index increased to 129.5 in November from a revised 126.2 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Manufacturing growth in the central Atlantic region was “robust” in November, according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index soared to 30 from 12.

Home prices rose 6.2% on an annual basis in September, not seasonally adjusted, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, released Tuesday.

The Treasury Department auctioned $34 billion of five-year notes, with a 2% coupon, a 2.066% high yield, a price of 99.688000.

Modest gains in health-care prices have kept inflation levels low, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Economic Letter, released Monday.

A rate hike should be appropriate “in the near future,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Rob Kaplan.

The Treasury Department Monday auctioned $26 billion of two-year notes with a 1 3/4% coupon at a 1.765% yield, a price of 99.970650.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $45 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.

Texas factory activity, as measured by the production index, “continued to expand in November.”

The Treasury Department said Wednesday it will auction $42 billion 91-day bills and $36 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

The University of Michigan's final November consumer sentiment index reading was 98.5, compared to the preliminary November 97.8 and the final October 100.7, according to market sources.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $45 billion of four-week bills at a 1.130% high yield, a price of 99.915250.

Existing home sales grew 2.0% to a seasonally adjusted 5.48 million-unit rate in October from a revised 5.37 million sales pace the previous month.

The region's non-manufacturing sector “continued to expand, but with a slowing in the pace of growth.”

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for October increased to 0.65 from 0.36 in September, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) rose to 0.28 from 0.01, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Tuesday.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen will resign as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors when Jerome Powell is sworn in as chair, the Fed announced Monday.

Falling Treasury yields despite Federal Reserve short-term rate hikes have caused "conundrum" like that seen in 2004-2005, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, but unlike the earlier occasion, economists may understand it better this time.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 90-day and 181-day discount bills were higher on Monday, as the three-months incurred a 1.285% high rate, up from 1.240% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 1.415% high rate, up from 1.360% the week before.