Treasury bills

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Stewart on S&P: Are You Effing Serious?
 Stewart on S&P: 
 Are You Effing Serious? 
THE DAILY SHOW

Stewart on S&P: Are You Effing Serious?

Exodus to 'freshly downgraded Treasuries' stuns Daily Show host

(Newser) - Jon Stewart was left dumbfounded by Standard & Poor's downgrading of America's credit rating , not so much by the rationale behind leaving the US with worse credit than Finland, Australia, Singapore, and even the Isle of Man, but by the reaction of financial institutions: "Flushing their money...

Stocks Up, Gold Down as Markets React to Deal

Investors wait to see if US credit rating could be downgraded

(Newser) - The debt ceiling deal quickly helped calm hyperventilating markets, with S&P 500 stock futures up 1.5% on overnight trading, Asian stock markets up, and gold down, reports Reuters . But with the US dollar mostly unchanged, long-term US treasury bonds down, and the continued threat of a downgrade to...

Debt Crisis Could Make Lehman's Fail Look Lame

Downgrade could be worse: Neel Kashkari

(Newser) - If the debt follies in Washington result in US credit being downgraded, it could end up being a worse financial hit than the epic failure of Lehman Brothers, writes Neel Kashkari. The former assistant secretary to the Treasury, who was appointed by George W Bush to oversee the $700 billion...

Wall St. Plotting for Debt Doomsday

Prospect of default fraying nerves

(Newser) - As lawmakers scramble to hammer out a debt deal, Wall Street firms are working on ways to deal with America defaulting on its debt—and on ways to make a buck out of any upheaval. Treasury bonds function like a currency on Wall Street and default after the Aug. 2...

Congress Ups Nat'l Debt Ceiling to $12.4T

Bill would authorize Treasury to fund gov through Feb.

(Newser) - The Senate voted today to raise the ceiling on the government debt to $12.4 trillion, a massive increase over the current limit and a political problem that President Barack Obama has promised to address next year. The Senate's rare Christmas Eve vote, 60-39, follows House passage last week and...

Dow Climbs 37 on Day 8 of Streak
 Dow Climbs 37 
 on Day 8 of Streak 
MARKETS

Dow Climbs 37 on Day 8 of Streak

Eight-day winning stretch is first in 28 months

(Newser) - Stocks closed up today as the Dow continued its modest winning streak for an eighth day—the longest period of gains in 28 months—though trading volume remained light, the Wall Street Journal reports. An auction of 7-year Treasury notes saw decent demand. AIG shares rose 28.8% on reports...

Fed Holds Rates, Sees Economy 'Leveling Out'

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve has slowed its recovery-minded plan to purchase Treasury securities but said that "economic activity is leveling out," the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed’s policy committee hopes to complete its $300 billion purchase of Treasury securities by October—originally slated for September—and also...

$134B Bond Fraud May Be Mob Handiwork

US, Italian authorities blame organized crime for huge counterfeiting

(Newser) - The counterfeit bonds with a face value of $134 billion seized near the Swiss border are probably the work of the Mafia, say Italian and American secret services. The mystery surrounding the suitcase stuffed with fake US Treasury bonds deepened yesterday, after a blog revealed that police had released the...

$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam
$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam
OPINION

$134B Suitcase Could Be Huge Smuggling Scam

Italy arrests men with enough US bonds to buy a few countries

(Newser) - Last week, Italian authorities detained two Japanese men attempting to cross the border into Switzerland carrying a suitcase stuffed with $134 billion in US bonds. The men are either massive counterfeiters or—even scarier—the fourth-largest creditors of the US Treasury, with enough cash to buy three or four countries....

T-Note Surge Puts Dow Off 173
 T-Note Surge Puts Dow Off 173 
MARKETS

T-Note Surge Puts Dow Off 173

(Newser) - A Treasury note bump and continued skittishness about the US economy sent stocks down today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Yesterday, everyone was happy about the consumer,” one strategist said. “Now people are wondering about the flip side: What happens if consumption gets out of hand?” The...

China's Trouble: Lots of Dollars, Little Sense
China's Trouble: Lots of Dollars, Little Sense
OPINION

China's Trouble: Lots of Dollars, Little Sense

Krugman: Beijing knows it's in trouble, remains tied to old ills

(Newser) - China’s recent call for an alternative to the dollar as a reserve currency underlines how much trouble the country is in after years of stockpiling greenbacks, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times. The Chinese, long unwilling to let the yuan float freely on foreign exchanges, are signaling...

Dow Wavers, Finishes Up 90
 Dow Wavers, Finishes Up 90 
MARKETS

Dow Wavers, Finishes Up 90

Poor Treasury auction saps some investor confidence

(Newser) - Stocks wavered today, with the indices posting gains but off session highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. A rise in durable-goods orders stoked an early rally, but enthusiasm was tempered by weak demand for US Treasuries in an auction. The Dow dipped into losses in the afternoon, but closed up...

Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91
 Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91 
MARKETS

Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91

Plan to buy Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities stirs stocks

(Newser) - Stocks slumped today until the announcement of the Federal Reserve’s plans to buy billions in Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, which caused a minor rally in equities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Treasury prices surged and yields plummeted. The Dow gained 90.88 to close at 7,486.58. The...

Fed to Spend $1T on Mortgage, Treasury Securities

Latest intervention hopes to lower lending costs

(Newser) - The Fed plans buy up to $300 billion in long-term Treasury securities in an attempt to make lending more affordable, the Wall Street Journal reports. The massive buy is intended to push down interest rates on consumer loans and corporate bonds, which are linked to yields T-bills. The Fed will...

Geithner: China 'Manipulating' Its Currency

Strong charge could roil relations at a delicate time

(Newser) - Tim Geithner today accused China of "manipulating" its currency, a volatile charge in the diplomatic world that is certain to anger Beijing and possibly prompt it to sell some of its massive reserves of US dollars, the New York Times reports. The Treasury nominee made the accusation in a...

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries
Next Bubble May Be
in Treasuries
ANALYSIS

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries

But the rest of the bond market is attractively priced

(Newser) - As the credit and stock markets collapsed, investors rushed to Treasuries as the safest possible bet. But the rush to safety could be fueling a bubble, writes Andrew Bary for Barrons. Yields have been plummeting, with 10-year notes at 2.4% and three-month bills selling last week for 0.05%....

Jittery About Loss, Investors Stuff Cash In 0% T-Bills

Willing to take nothing for their money

(Newser) - The results of yesterday’s short-term bond auction were staggering. Investors snapped up $30 billion worth of Treasuries at a 0% yield—essentially lending the government money for free, the New York Times reports. Earlier, some investors even accepted a negative yield to park their cash in three-month Treasury bills....

Fed Looks to Raise Cash With Its Own Debt Issue

Economy's dive prompts central bank to get more creative with financing programs

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet has more than doubled to $2 trillion since August as it’s financed new programs and bailed out ailing businesses, prompting the central bank to weigh issuing its own debt for the first time, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Fed, looking for new...

Dow Down 242 on Auto Doubts
 Dow Down 242 on Auto Doubts 
MARKETS

Dow Down 242 on Auto Doubts

Uncertainty over bailout details gives rally a flat tire

(Newser) - Yesterday’s gains in the market, buoyed by the probable Detroit bailout, slipped away today as details remained uncertain, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though investors are still optimistic about the president-elect’s infrastructure initiative’s impact on raw goods and energy, that sector couldn’t carry the market. The...

Stocks Take Modest Bounce
Stocks Take Modest Bounce 
MARKET Open

Stocks Take Modest Bounce

Dow up after disastrous session

(Newser) - Stocks headed north this morning, after a grisly Monday that saw the Dow fall 7.7% and the S&P 500 drop 8.9%. Things looked less traumatic today, as the Dow rose a modest 68 points at the open, accompanied by 1.2% and 1.4% rises in the...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser