Gary Siegel

The European strife “poses significant risks” to our country and the Fed is watching and is ready to act if needed, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke testified to Congress Thursday.

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

Economic activity expanded moderately at most Federal Reserve districts from early April to late May, with only Philadelphia reporting a slowing, according to the Beige Book released on Wednesday.

Monetary policy must remain highly accommodative, and the Fed must be ready “to do even more if needed,” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams said Wednesday.

Newly issued Treasury securities held in stripped form decreased about $1.204 billion in May to a total of $196.396 billion, the Bureau of the Public Debt reported Wednesday.

Economic activity expanded moderately at most Federal Reserve Districts from early April to late May, with only Philadelphia reporting a slowing, according to the Beige Book, released Wednesday.

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

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $30 billion of four-week bills at a 0.040% high yield, a price of 99.996889.

The U.S. services sector expanded at a slightly faster pace in May as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 53.7 in the month, compared to 53.5 in April, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday.

Despite signals of a “global slowdown,” and mixed economic data in the United States, the Federal Reserve should continue its “wait-and-see” approach to monetary policy, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis president James Bullard said Tuesday.

Not only wouldn’t further monetary policy accommodation help the economy, it would make the Federal Reserve complicit with the federal government’s “mischief,” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas president Richard W. Fisher said Tuesday.

Despite signals of a “global slowdown,” and mixed economic data in the U.S., the Federal Reserve should continue its “wait-and-see” approach to monetary policy, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said Tuesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $30 billion of four-week bills at a 0.040% high yield, a price of 99.996889.

The U.S. services sector expanded at a slightly faster pace in May as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 53.7 in the month, compared to 53.5 in April, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday.

Not only wouldn’t further monetary policy accommodation help the economy, it would make the Federal Reserve complicit with the federal government’s “mischief,” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President and CEO Richard W. Fisher said Tuesday.

The U.S. economy should continue to improve, with real growth in gross domestic product expected to be 2.3% this year and 2.6% next year, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago symposium consensus opinion.

The Conference Board’s employment trends index crept up 0.29% to 108.34 in May from a downwardly revised 108.03 in April, and is up 7.6% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

New York City business activity contracted in May as the current business conditions index fell to a six-month low of 49.9 in May from 61.2 in April, according to the Institute for Supply Management-New York’s report on business index, released Monday.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.075% high rate, down from 0.085% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.130% high rate, off from 0.140% the week before.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $30 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.