7. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The Institute of Supply Management’s factory index rose to 53.9 for the month of December.  The increase marked the fastest that U.S. manufacturing has expanded in the last 6 months.  The jobs report also showed gains for the month of December.  Positive factory and jobs data helped send Treasuries lower in trading last week.  The Ten year note yield rose to 1.96%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-07/treasuries-drop-as-reports-showing-economic-strength-damp-demand.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

27. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Obama is set to nominate Jeremy Stein and Jerome Powell to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.   Jeremy Stein has worked as an advisor to the Treasury secretary during the Obama administration.  Jerome Powell worked at the Treasury during the term of George H.W. Bush.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/27/us-usa-fed-whitehouse-idUSTRE7BQ0RA20111227

James Sutliff

Posted in Federal Reserve, Economy, General, DC, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

6. September 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The yield on a ten year Treasury fell to an all-time low in trading on Tuesday.  The European debt crisis and a slow US economy drove investors to the safety of Treasuries.  European stocks fell on Monday and US stocks declined in trading on Tuesday. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-06/ten-year-treasuries-most-expensive-ever-on-safety-bid-fed-measure-shows.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, General, Business | No Comments »

2. September 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Labor Department released employment figures for the month of August and job growth remained flat.  The data sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average down almost 200 points in afternoon trading.  Another round of stimulus could be discussed at the next meeting of the Federal Reserve on September 20th and 21st.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/02/us-usa-economy-idUSTRE77U25D20110902

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Federal Reserve, Economy, Budget, Republican, General, Business, Democrat, Administrative | No Comments »

31. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Treasuries posted their biggest monthly gains since December 2008.  Investors looked towards the safety of US Treasuries even as Standard & Poor’s downgraded US debt.  The yield on a 10 year note fell 60 basis points in the month of August as compared to a drop of 71 basis points in December 2008. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-31/treasuries-head-for-biggest-monthly-gain-since-2008-after-u-s-downgrade.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Treasury, Budget, Economy, Federal Reserve, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

22. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Stocks are trading above the 10,900 mark on Monday as traders speculate on more Fed action.  Also, the possibility that the Federal Reserve will announce another quantitative easing program to counter recessionary concerns have kept Treasury yields at record lows.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/u-s-stock-futures-drop-following-biggest-slump-in-s-p-500-index-since-09.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

17. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

On Tuesday, Fitch Ratings announced that they were keeping U.S. debt at a AAA rating.  In addition, the outlook was kept at stable.  Moody’s has U.S. debt rated AAA with a negative outlook.  Fitch Ratings indicated that the outlook could change to negative if Congress does not cut future deficits. 

To read a related ABC News article, please click here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=14315215

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Treasury, Budget, Economy, Federal Reserve, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

6. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

World leaders are meeting this weekend to discuss the debt crises in Europe and the United States.  The downgrade of U.S. debt by Standard and Poor’s on Friday will test the strength of financial markets.  Also, markets may negatively react if the European central bank does not purchase Italian and Spanish debt on Monday.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/06/us-eurozone-idUSTRE7712HB20110806

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Federal Reserve, Presidential, 2012, Budget, Treasury, Congress, Tax, Democrat, Business, General, Politics, Republican, Administrative | No Comments »

27. April 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Federal Reserve has announced that they will finish bond purchases in June.  The $600 billion of bond buying activity by the Fed was intended to spur the economy and was scheduled to end in June.  Also, a Federal Open Market Committee statement indicated that the economic recovery is moderate and that inflation should be temporary. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-27/fed-says-pace-of-u-s-recovery-is-moderate-bond-buying-will-end-in-june.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

16. March 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Drudge Report is a premier site that provides coverage of business, politics, and world events.  The Drudge Report has valuable links to sites and articles in an easy to read format. 

To visit The Drudge Report, please click here:

http://www.drudgereport.com/

James Sutliff

Posted in Governor, Federal Reserve, Congress, Tax, Republican, Infrastructure, Trade, Dodd-Frank, Presidential, RNC, Economy, Regulatory, Real Estate, Election, Energy, Democrat, DC, Business, Environment, Estate Tax, Politics, Healthcare, General, Fundraising, Administrative | No Comments »

2. November 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

A recent survey indicated that 53 of 56 economists expected the Federal Reserve to start a second round of quantitative easing.  The survey also indicated that 29 economists expect the amount to exceed $500 billion.  The stock market is expected to have a favorable reaction to the bond purchases.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-01/fed-likely-to-announce-500-billion-of-purchases-survey-shows.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Federal Reserve, Economy, Regulatory, General, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

4. September 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

An increase in private payrolls helped the stock market before the holiday weekend.  The positive payroll data may keep the Federal Reserve from taking measures to add a monetary stimulus later in the month.  One concern is that a slow response by the Fed to economic conditions could worsen the long term outlook.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-03/federal-reserve-under-reduced-pressure-to-add-stimulus-after-jobs-report.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Federal Reserve, Regulatory, General, Business, Administrative | No Comments »