Gary Siegel

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators was up 0.1% in December following a revised 1.0% increase in November, first reported as a 0.8% surge, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for December fell to 0.16 from a revised 0.69 reading in November, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) declined to 0.33 from a revised 0.36 in November, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Thursday.

The Treasury Department Wednesday auctioned $12 billion of four-week bills at a zero high yield, a price of par.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were mixed, as the three-months incurred a 0.035% high rate, unchanged from 0.035% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.060% high rate, up from 0.055% the week before.

The city of Buffalo, N.Y.'s finances are improving, but challenges remain, according to a report released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday it will sell $12 billion of four-week discount bills Wednesday.

The University of Michigan's preliminary January consumer sentiment index reading was 80.4, compared to the final December 82.5, the preliminary December 82.5, and the final November 75.1, according to market sources.

The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $28 billion 91-day bills and $25 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in January, as the general business conditions index climbed to 9.4 from 6.4 in December, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The New York region's service sector "increased modestly" in January, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Business Leaders Survey, released Thursday.

Builders' confidence in the market for new single-family homes fell as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index - a monthly gauge of builder sentiment - dipped to 56 in January from a revised 57 in December, first reported as 58.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer annual revisions moved December's reading to 60.8 in from the 59.1 initially reported, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Thursday.

While recent experience indicates zero lower bound (ZLB) is a bigger problem than believed, but forward guidance, large-scale asset purchases, and sometimes fiscal policy can offset the issues, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John C. Williams wrote in a paper presented Thursday.

Initial jobless claims dropped 2,000 to 326,000 in the week ended January 11, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Moderate expansion with a positive outlook was reported by most regions, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book report, released Wednesday.

Low inflation suggest it will be "appropriate" to keep the Fed funds rate low for "quite some time," according to Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President and Chief Executive Officer Charles L. Evans, who backed a change in forward guidance to show the Federal Open Market Committee is "in no hurry to raise rates."

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed "business activity expanded for New York manufacturers, and did so at a faster pace than in recent months," the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Monday as the general business conditions index grew to 12.51 in January from 2.22 in December.

The Federal Open Market Committee's decision to taper bond purchases "pleased" Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President and CEO Richard W. Fisher, who said Tuesday he would have preferred a larger taper and he will push to end asset purchases as quickly as possible.

The economy has reached the "significant improvement in labor market conditions" that the Federal Open Market Committee set as the criteria to end quantitative easing, and the start of tapering is a positive move, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President and Chief Executive Officer Charles I. Plosser said Tuesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $15 billion of four-week bills at a zero high yield, a price of par.