Gary Siegel

Texas factory activity, as measured by the production index, "increased for the eleventh month in a row in March," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, released Monday.

The Federal Reserve's "extraordinary commitment" to help the U.S. recover from the Great Recession will be needed "for some time to come," Fed Chair Janet Yellen reiterated Monday.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer dropped to 55.9 in March from 59.8 in February, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Monday.

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business rose to 56.0 in March from 48.6 in February, the Institute for Supply Management-Milwaukee reported Monday.

The Midwest Economy Index fell to negative 0.03 in February from positive 0.32 in January, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

The University of Michigan's final March consumer sentiment index reading was 80.0, compared to the preliminary March 79.9, and the final February 81.6, according to market sources.

Personal income rose 0.3% in February following an unrevised 0.3% increase in January, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's region "increased, and producers' expectations were mostly stable at solid levels," according to the bank's monthly manufacturing survey, released Thursday.

Pending home sales dropped 0.8% to an index reading of 93.9 in February, after a revised 0.2% slip to 94.7 in January, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.

Initial jobless claims fell 10,000 to 311,000 in the week ended March 22, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Various information will be used by the Fed to determine when to raise rates, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto said Thursday.

U.S. durable goods orders surged 2.2% in February, while excluding transportation orders grew 0.2%, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $35 billion of four-week bills at a 0.045% high yield, a price of 99.996500.

Service sector activity “grew modestly” in March, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "remained soft" in March, according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index dropped to negative 7 in March from negative 6 in February.

The consumer confidence index increased to 82.3 in March from a revised 78.3 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Sales of new single-family homes decreased 3.3% to a 440,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in February, according to data released by the Commerce Department Tuesday.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for February climbed to positive 0.14 from a revised negative 0.45 reading in January, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) declined to negative 0.18 from a revised positive 0.02 in January, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

The newly announced Federal Open Market Committee forward guidance "weakens the credibility" of the Fed's "commitment to target 2 percent inflation" and increases policy uncertainty, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota said in explaining why he voted against the statement.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in March, as the general business conditions index climbed to positive 9.0 from negative 6.3 in February, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.