Gary Siegel

Texas manufacturing activity picked up in January, as measured by the production index, as the survey numbers include annual seasonal revisions, according to the monthly business-activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and released Monday.

The U.S. Treasury expects to borrow $444 billion in the first quarter of 2012, ending with a $30 billion cash balance, the department announced Monday.

Domestic banks said lending standards were little changed but demand rose in the past three months, according to the Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices, published by the Fed Monday.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were higher, as the three-months incurred a 0.050% high rate, up from 0. 040% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.075% high rate, up from 0.070% the week before.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $33 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.

Texas factory activity, as measured by the production index, picked up in January, as the survey numbers include annual seasonal revisionw, according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, released Monday.

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index soared 1.7% in December to a seasonally adjusted level of 87.4, as all four regional sectors showed improvement, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

The University of Michigan’s final January consumer sentiment index reading was 75.0, compared to the preliminary January 74.0 reading, the final December 69.9 and the preliminary December 67.7, according to market sources.

The economic strength seen at the end of 2011 was a result of temporary factors and the pace of growth seen in the last quarter of the year won’t carry into 2012, as growth will remain moderate, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York president William C. Dudley.

The economic strength seen at the end of 2011 was a result of temporary factors and the pace of growth seen in the last quarter of the year won’t carry into 2012, as growth will remain moderate, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York President and Chief Executive Officer William C. Dudley.

The University of Michigan's final January consumer sentiment index reading was 75.0, compared to the preliminary January 74.0 reading, the final December 69.9, and the preliminary December 67.7, according to market sources.

The composite index of leading economic indicators rose 0.4% in December following a revised 0.2% gain in November, originally reported as a 0.5% increase, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

The Treasury Department auctioned $29 billion of seven-year notes, with a 1 1/4% coupon, a 1.359% high yield, a price of 99.274515.

The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $31 billion 91-day bills and $29 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s region “rebounded in January, and expectations remained at solid levels,” according to the bank’s monthly manufacturing survey, released Thursday.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Business Barometer benchmark revisions brought the index down to 62.2 in December from 62.5 previously reported, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Thursday.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.4% in December following a revised 0.2% gain in November, originally reported as a 0.5% increase, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for December rose to positive 0.17 from a revised negative 0.46 reading in November, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) improved to negative 0.08 in December from a revised negative 0.19 in November, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Thursday.

Pending home sales slipped 3.5% to an index reading of 96.6 in December after an unrevised 7.3% increase to 100.1 in November, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.

Nearly one-third of Federal Open Market Committee members expect the next policy firming to be in 2014, with almost as many seeing the first tightening in 2015, according to projections released Wednesday by the Fed.