Economic recovery weakening …

… per the Fed. Not good news out there at all, and a lot of us are really feeling it right now.

From the link:

The U.S. economic recovery is weakening, the Federal Reserve warned at the conclusion of its meeting Tuesday, its most bearish outlook in more than a year.

“The pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months,” the Fed said in its statement. It said while it still expects the economy to grow, the improvement will be “more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.”

The T-bill collapse is troubling

Very troubling, actually …

From the link:

IT’S THE CRASH YOU DIDN’T HEAR. Not in the price of any security market, but in short-term U.S. Treasury yields.

Treasury bills once again were trading at negative interest rates Thursday, a mind-boggling state of affairs that hasn’t existed since the panic late last year. That followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the assorted knock-on effects, notably the run on money-market funds after the Reserve Fund “broke the buck.”

More significantly, the yield on the two-year Treasury note — the most actively traded security on the planet — fell to 0.669% Thursday, within a hair of the low of 0.657% set in the dark days of last December, according to data on Barrons.com’s Market Data Center.

But now, the economy is supposed to be well on the way to recovery, in contrast to late last year when it seemed we stood on the precipice of a second Great Depression. The Dow is back above 10,000 and bulls claim all’s right with the world. Why, then, would any rational investor be willing to lock up money for two years for the paltry return of less than two-thirds of 1%?

Bailout still in DC debate

Looks like the Senate is voting tonight on a bailout version that might be a bit more palatable to the House GOPers, although I’m with the fiscal conservatives who urge calm over freak-out.

After Monday the markets seem to have settled down to a quiet boil. Major money is flowing into T-bills and away from the open market.

Even though there’s a relative calm, I’ve heard the Martini sisters — Ivana and Anita — are still in high demand on Wall Street. Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitstaff and come back Friday for the prime rib lunch special.

From the first link:

Senate leaders scheduled a Wednesday night vote on a $700 billion financial bailout package after accepting tax breaks and a higher limit for insured bank deposits in a bid to win House approval and send legislation to President Bush by the end of the week.

Top lawmakers said the Senate proposal, worked out after a day of maneuvering behind the scenes, would include tax breaks for businesses and alternative energy and higher government insurance for bank deposits.

“It has been determined, in our judgment, this is the best thing to move forward,” said Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada and the majority leader, in announcing the surprise move. The House was expected to vote on Friday.