Gary Siegel

Despite a dip to 105.3 in February from 105.9 in January, the National Federation of Independent Business' monthly Small Business Optimism index published Tuesday, stayed near a 43-year high.

The producer price index was up 0.3% in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the core rate, which excludes food and energy rose 0.3%, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

Consumer expectations on inflation "shows a slight uptick in median three-year ahead inflation expectations," according to the Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

The Conference Board's Employment Trends Index (ETI) grew to 131.394 in February from a downwardly revised 129.91 in January, and is up 3.1% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta picked economist Raphael W. Bostic as its 15th president and chief executive officer, the Bank announced Monday.

The federal government ran a $192.0 billion deficit in February, the Treasury Department reported Friday.

U.S. inflationary pressures were up in February, as the U.S. future inflation gauge increased to 113.4 from a 113.0 reading in January, according to data released Friday morning by the Economic Cycle Research Institute.

The European Central Bank announced its Governing Council held interest rates at its latest monetary policy meeting Thursday.

About 4,537,600 online job postings appeared on leading internet job boards in February, a decrease of 360,200 from January, the Conference Board reported Wednesday.

Private-sector employment increased by 298,000 in February, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ADP estimated Wednesday.

Newly issued Treasury securities held in stripped form increased about $1.119 billion in February to a total of $241.062 billion, the Bureau of the Public Debt reported Monday.

It's beginning to look a lot like a March rate hike, unless there's a big shock in the next two weeks.

The U.S. services sector was up in February as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 57.6 in the month, compared to 56.5 in January, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday.

A March rate hike "is on the table for discussion," Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell said in a televised interview Thursday.

"New York City purchasing managers reported slower growth while still indicating a faster pace of activity in February," as the current business conditions index decreased to 51.3 in February from 57.7 in January, the Institute for Supply Management-New York's Report on Business index, released Thursday, indicated.

The U.S. "economy expanded at a modest to moderate pace," according to the Beige Book, which was released by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

The overall economy grew for the ninety-third straight time, while the manufacturing sector expanded for the sixth consecutive month, the Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday.

In a low-safe-real-interest-rate environment and with the question of how the Trump administration's policies will play out, the Federal Open Market Committee doesn't need to raise rates aggressively, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said late Tuesday.

The Federal Open Market Committee's March meeting should include a "serious" discussion of a rate hike, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President and CEO John C. Williams said Tuesday.

Three rate increases should be appropriate this year if conditions are as expected, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President and CEO Patrick Harker said Tuesday.