Gary Siegel

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.

Retail sales grew 3.5% in the week ended Jan. 1, and chain store sales increased 0.4%. Retail sales rose 4.6% the previous week, according to the Johnson Redbook index. Chain store sales were up 3.6% from the same period a year ago, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $25 billion of four-week bills at a 0.120% high yield, a price of 99.990667.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.150% high rate, down from 0.180% the pevious week, and the six-months incurred a 0.190% high rate, off from 0.225%.

The overall economy grew for the 20th straight time, while the manufacturing sector expanded for the 17th time, the Institute for Supply Management reported 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 0.150% high rate, down from 0.180% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.190% high rate, off from 0.225% the week before.