Treasury Quotations | Page 2

As the news this morning of increased joblessness and earlier reports of exploding deficit and debt reveal, the president's economic policy is a disaster. Obviously, the secretary of the treasury and Mr. Lindsey are being sacrificed to protect the president. Sadly, the removal of these economic officials will do nothing if they are simply replaced with yes-men committed to the president's relentlessly partisan agenda of pushing tax cuts at the expense of all else.

JGB prices got off a firmer start today aided by the bullish tone on the US Treasury market overnight, but then they fell back after the sharp gains in stock prices here.

JGB prices dropped on firmer stock prices, a drop in US Treasury prices overnight and a pullback in the yen against the dollar.

Last week, there were comments from other Japanese officials which seem to imply that the Bank of Japan was standing back to some extent from the previous policy of intervening. And it wouldn't be completely against the wishes of the U.S. Treasury if the dollar were to weaken a little bit further. It would actually keep the pressure on Japan to reform.

Larry Summers is a very capable guy. He's been Rubin's deputy for the last five years or so, and Rubin has been grooming him to take on the responsibilities of being the Treasury secretary.

There is a limit to how much the United States Treasury can borrow.

Folks at Treasury believe that some folks will go ahead and pay it (this year) anyway, ... Didn't get the memo, I guess, but that's the answer.

Fear of higher rates and higher Treasury yields are the main factors driving markets these days. We've been used to low rates for such a long time that now it seems the market was caught by surprise with yields at these levels. We might see less borrowing and less spending as a result.

It is clear that the debt limit must be increased. Failure to approve an increase would have dire consequences for government finances and financial markets. Delaying action on an increase until the last possible moment, forcing Treasury to utilize extraordinary measures to avoid a default, is unnecessary and irresponsible. However, under the current fiscal circumstances approving a large-scale increase in the debt limit without a plan to restore fiscal discipline would also be irresponsible.

Last Friday's unexpectedly weak employment report caused interest rates on long-term Treasury bonds and, by extension mortgage rates, to fall as investors worried about the health of the U.S. economy.