Gary Siegel

NEW YORK - The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators grew 0.3% in September, the Conference Board reported today.

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia president Charles I. Plosser said market “failures” seen during the financial crisis resulted from poorly-conceived regulations that created distorted incentives.

Mortgage loan application volume slumped 10.5% the week ended Oct. 15, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey released Wednesday.

NEW YORK – Market “failures” seen during the financial crisis resulted from “poorly conceived regulations,” that created “distorted incentives,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President and Chief Executive Officer Charles I. Plosser.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department today sold $25 billion 56-day cash management bills, dated October 21, due December 16, at a 0.150% high tender rate.

NEW YORK – Mortgage loan application volume slumped 10.5% in the week ended October 15, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey released Wednesday.

No decision will be made on a second round of quantitative easing until the Federal Open Market Committee meets Nov. 3, and the outcome of that meeting “is yet to be determined,” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas president and chief executive officer Richard W. Fisher said Tuesday.

The sluggish recovery has slowed and will not be enough to drive the unemployment rate below 8% until 2012, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago president Charles Evans said Tuesday.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York president William Dudley said Tuesday that gross domestic product expanded more slowly in the third quarter and economic sluggishness will continue.

NEW YORK – No decision will be made on a second round of quantitative easing, and none will be made until the Federal Open Market Committee meets on November 3, and the outcome of that meeting “is yet to be determined,” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President and CEO Richard W. Fisher said Tuesday.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $22 billion of four-week bills at a 0.135% high yield, a price of 99.989500.

NEW YORK - The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $24 billion of 364-day bills at a 0.225% high yield, a price of 99.772500.

NEW YORK – The sluggish recovery has slowed recently and will not be enough to drive the unemployment rate below 8% until 2012, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said today.

NEW YORK – Economic sluggishness will continue, and third-quarter gross domestic product growth will show “an even slower rate” than the second quarter, New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley said Tuesday.

NEW YORK – The Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index rose 2.7% in the second week of October after posting a 2.5% increase the week before.

NEW YORK – Retail sales were up 1.7% from a year ago in the week ended October 16, but were down 0.7% from the prior week, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot released Tuesday:

Despite “leaning” toward further monetary stimulus, “the decision is not clear cut” for additional quantitative easing, or QE2, and costs and benefits need to be debated, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta president Dennis Lockhart said Monday.

Builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes rose for the first time in five months, as the National Association of Home Builders’ housing market index jumped to 16 in October from an unrevised 13 in September.

NEW YORK – Despite “leaning” toward further monetary stimulus, “the decision is not clear cut,” and the costs and benefits will have to be debated, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart told the Savannah Rotary Club Monday.

NEW YORK - Tender rates for the Treasury Department’s latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were higher, as the three-months incurred a 0.135% high rate, up from 0. 125% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.170% high rate, up from 0.165% the week before.