Gary Siegel

Texas service sector activity picked up in November, according to business executives responding to the Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index grew to 11.4 from 5.3.

Service sector activity "grew generally on pace with a month ago," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "improved in November," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index soared to 13 from 1 in October.

The consumer confidence index decreased to 70.4 in November from a revised 72.4 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 90-day and 181-day discount bills were mixed, as the three-months incurred an 0.080% high rate, unchanged from 0.080% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.105% high rate, up from 0.100% the week before.

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

Pending home sales fell 0.6% to an index reading of 102.1 in October, after a revised 4.6% decline to 102.7 in September, according to a report released Monday by the National Association of Realtors.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's region "continued to grow, and producers' expectations for future activity improved moderately," according to the bank's monthly manufacturing survey, released Friday.

The Treasury Department sold $13 billion of inflation-indexed 9-year 8-month TIPs at a 0.560% high yield, an adjusted price of 98.268271, with a 3/8% coupon.

The U.S. should have looked at Japan's experience with near-zero rates before the December 2008 Federal Open Market Committee decision to drop rates near zero, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said Thursday.

The Treasury Department said it will auction $29 billion seven-year notes on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $32 billion 91-day bills and $28 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a slower pace in November, as the general business conditions index slipped to 6.5 from 19.8 in October, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

Asset purchases could be decreased "in coming months," as Federal Open Market Committee members expect data to show "ongoing improvement in labor market conditions," which would warrant such action, according to minutes of the panel's latest meeting, released Wednesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $45 billion of four-week bills at a 0.060% high yield, a price of 99.995333.

The Federal Open Market Committee should define the amount of assets it will purchase under QE3 and stop when that limit is reached, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President and Chief Executive Officer Charles I. Plosser said Monday.

The pace of economic growth will quicken in 2014 and "somewhat more in 2015," after disappointing this year, Federal Reserve Bank of New York President and Chief Executive Officer William C. Dudley said Monday.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were higher, as the three-months incurred an 0.080% high rate, up from 0.075% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.100% high rate, up from 0.095% the week before.

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

Builders' confidence in the market for new single-family homes slipped as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index remained at 54 in November, unchanged from a downwardly revised 54 in October, originally reported as 55.