Gary Siegel

Claiming that the economy is doing better than the improving number suggest, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher, said talk of additional accommodation is “wishful thinking.”

The Treasury Department Wednesday auctioned $40 billion of four-week bills at a 0.060% high yield and a price of 99.995333.

The Treasury Department Wednesday auctioned $35 billion of five-year notes, with a 7/8% coupon, a 0.900% high yield and a price of 99.878039.

Inflation expectations ticked up to 1.9% in the coming year from a 1.8% prediction last month, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s monthly business inflation survey of firms in the Sixth Federal Reserve District.

Existing home sales increased 4.3% in January to a seasonally adjusted 4.57 million-unit rate, after a downwardly revised 4.38 million rate in December, originally reported as 4.61 million units, the National Association of Realtors announced Wednesday.

The Treasury Department auctioned $35 billion of five-year notes, with a 7/8% coupon, a 0.900% high yield, a price of 99.878039.

The Treasury Department Wednesday auctioned $40 billion of four-week bills at a 0.060% high yield, a price of 99.995333.

Inflation expectations ticked up to 1.9% in the comng year from a 1.8% prediction last month, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s monthly business inflation survey of firms in the Sixth Federal Reserve District.

Existing home sales increased 4.3% in January to a seasonally adjusted 4.57 million-unit rate, after a downwardly revised 4.38 million unit rate in December originally reported as 4.61 million units, the National Association of Realtors announced Wednesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $35 billion of two-year notes with a 1/4% coupon at a 0.310% yield and a price of 99.880464.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred an 0.085% high rate, off from 0.095% the previous week, and the six-months incurred a 0.125% high rate, down from 0.130%.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January fell to 0.22 from a revised positive 0.54 reading in December, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) improved to 0.14 in January from a revised 0.06 in December, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Tuesday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $35 billion of two-year notes with a 1/4% coupon at a 0.310% yield, a price of 99.880464.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred an 0.085% high rate, off from 0.095% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.125% high rate, down from 0.130% the week before.

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

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January fell to 0.22 from a revised positive 0.54 reading in December, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) improved to 0.14 in January from a revised 0.06 in December, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Tuesday.

The composite index of leading economic indicators rose 0.4% in January following a revised 0.5% gain in December, originally reported as a 0.4% increase, the Conference Board reported Friday.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.4% in January following a revised 0.5% gain in December, originally reported as a 0.4% increase, the Conference Board reported Friday.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded in February at a swifter pace than in January, as the general business conditions index climbed to 10.2 from 7.3 in January, this month’s Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

In the long term, the effect of the Federal Reserve keeping rates low will have a positive effect on bank profitability, though some may be feeling pain now, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday.