Gary Siegel

NEW YORK – The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index (ETI) ended the year on a high note, rising to 99.0 in December from a downwardly revised 98.5 in November, originally reported as 99.0, and is up 7.6% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

NEW YORK - The December Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Business Barometer was recalculated to at 66.8, compared to the previously announced 68.6, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Monday.

U.S. inflationary pressures were higher in November, as the U.S. future inflation gauge grew to 100.7 from 100.0 in November, according to data the Economic Cycle Research Institute released on Friday.

Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the economic recovery should be a little stronger this year than in 2010 and “a self-sustaining recovery” in consumer and business spending may be taking hold even as federal deficits threaten the economy.

NEW YORK - U.S. inflationary pressures were higher in December, as the U.S. future inflation gauge grew to 100.7 from a revised 100.0 in November, originally reported as 99.6, according to data released this morning by the Economic Cycle Research Institute.

NEW YORK – The economic recovery should be a little stronger in 2011 than in 2010 and “a self-sustaining recovery in consumer and business spending may be taking hold,” but federal deficits threaten the economy, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told the Senate Committee on the Budget Friday.

NEW YORK – Newly issued Treasury securities held in stripped form decreased about $493 million in December to a total of $197.414 billion, the Bureau of the Public Debt reported this afternoon.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department said it will auction $13 billion 29-year, 10-month notes on Thursday, Jan. 13.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department said it will auction $21 billion 9-year, 10-month notes on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department said it will auction $22 billion year bills on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department said it will auction $32 billion three-year notes on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $29 billion 91-day bills and $28 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

U.S. planned layoffs fell to 32,004 in December and total layoffs for 2010 dropped to a four-year low, outplacement consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Wednesday. The December tally is the lowest monthly level since June 2000, when 17,241 layoffs were announced.

Online hiring activity fell by 9,400 jobs postings in December to about 4.448 million, according to data released Wednesday from a survey of leading Internet job boards by the Conference Board.

Mortgage-loan application volume rose 2.3% the week ended Dec. 31 as refinancings rose, the Mortgage Bankers Association Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey said Wednesday.

Private-sector employment rose by 297,000 jobs in December due to a surge of services sector hiring, according to the ADP National Employment Report.

The U.S. services sector expanded more rapidly than economists expected in December as new orders picked up, the Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Wednesday sold $25 billion 56-day cash management bills, dated January 6, due March 3, at a 0.140% high tender rate.

NEW YORK – The U.S. services sector expanded in December as new orders picked up, the Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday.

NEW YORK – About 4,447,800 online job postings appeared on leading Internet job boards in December, down 9,400 from November, The Conference Board reported today.