Gary Siegel

NEW YORK – Since food and energy prices have been quite volatile recently, this would be “an opportune time” for the Fed to announce “an explicit numerical inflation objective,” Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto said Thursday.

NEW YORK - The European Central Bank announced its Governing Council raised interest rates by 25 basis points, effective with operations to be settled on April 13, at its latest monetary policy meeting Thursday.

Mortgage applications dropped 2.0% in the week ended April 1, as refinancings fell, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.

The Chicago Fed Midwest manufacturing index rose 1.3% in February to a seasonally adjusted level of 83.3, as the steel, machinery, and auto sectors all showed improvement, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Wednesday.

NEW YORK – Newly issued Treasury securities held in stripped form decreased about $845 million in March to a total of $198.938 billion, the Bureau of the Public Debt reported this afternoon.

NEW YORK - The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index rose 1.3% in February to a seasonally adjusted level of 83.3, as the steel, machinery, and auto sectors all showed improvement, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Wednesday.

NEW YORK - Mortgage applications dropped 2.0% in the week ended April 1, as refinancings fell, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.

The U.S. services sector expanded at a slower pace in March.

The shock to the economy from the residential housing market’s decline was so severe that the ensuing recession was going to be painful and challenging, “regardless of the policy response,” Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis president Narayana Kocherlakota told a workshop at the bank Tuesday.

Though a few members of the Federal Open Market Committee were uncertain about the benefits of buying $600 billion of longer-term Treasury securities by mid-year, they felt that the time was “not appropriate” to change quantitative easing at this point, according to minutes of the Feb. 15 FOMC meeting.

NEW YORK – Although a “few” members of the Federal Open Market Committee were “uncertain” about the benefits of buying $600 billion of longer-term Treasury securities by mid-year, they felt that the time was “not appropriate” to change the quantitative easing at this point, according to minutes of the Feb. 15 FOMC meeting.

NEW YORK – The shock to the economy from the residential housing market’s decline was so severe that the ensuing recession was going to be painful and challenging, “regardless of the policy response,” Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota told a workshop at the bank Tuesday.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $24 billion of 364-day bills at a 0.280% high yield, a price of 99.716889.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $40 billion of four-week bills at a 0.050% high yield, a price of 99.996111.

NEW YORK – The U.S. services sector expanded at a slower pace in March as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 57.3 in March, compared to 59.7 in February, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.050% high rate, off from 0.100% the previous week, and the six-months incurred a 0.130% high rate, down from 0.170%.

The Conference Board’s employment trends index rose to 100.9 in February from a downwardly revised 100.3 in February, originally reported as 101.7, and is up 8% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

NEW YORK - Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.050% high rate, off from 0.100% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.130% high rate, down from 0.170% the week before.

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

NEW YORK – The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index (ETI) rose to 100.9 in February from a downwardly revised 100.3 in February, originally reported as 101.7, and is up 8% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.