Gary Siegel

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for August slumped to negative 0.87 while the three-month moving average fell to negative 0.47, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

Should prices remain stable, the fed funds rate target should be kept "extraordinarily low" until the jobless rate drops under 5.5%, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota said Thursday.

The Treasury Department sold $13 billion of inflation-indexed 10-year TIPs at a negative 0.750% yield, an adjusted price of 108.522783, with a 1/8% coupon.

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

The Treasury Department said it will auction $35 billion two-year notes on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and $35 billion five-year notes on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

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 contracted again in August, as the general business conditions index improved to negative 1.9 from negative 7.1 in August, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators slid 0.1% in August following a revised 0.5% rise in July, originally reported as a 0.4% increase, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

While last week's action by the Federal Open Market Committee should speed economic growth and a return to full employment, it may take years for the latter to be accomplished, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President and Chief Executive Officer Eric S. Rosengren.

The University of Michigan's preliminary September consumer sentiment index reading was 79.2, compared to the final August 74.3, according to market sources.

Industrial production dropped 1.2% in August, while capacity use decreased to 78.2%, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

The Federal Open Market Committee's actions today were designed to "quicken recovery," and will be removed before the nation reaches full employments, according to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke.

The Treasury Department Thursday auctioned $13 billion of 29-year 11-month bonds with a 2 3/4% coupon at a 2.896% high yield, a price of 97.088998.

The Treasury Department said it will auction $13 billion 9-year 10-month inflation-protected notes on Thursday, Sept. 20.

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

The Treasury Department said it will auction $25 billion year bills on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

The Treasury Department auctioned $21 billion of nine-year 11-month notes with a 1 5/8% coupon at a 1.764% high yield, a price of 98.740142.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $40 billion of four-week bills at a 0.090% high yield, a price of 99.993000.

The federal government ran an estimated $1.17 trillion deficit for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2012, nearly $70 billion less than the deficit last year at that point, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $40 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.