Rates on US Treasury bills drop at weekly auction

WASHINGTON (AP) — Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills fell in Monday’s auction, with rates on three-month bills dropping to their lowest point since late 2011.

The Treasury Department auctioned $24 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.010 percent, down from 0.015 percent last week. Another $23 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0.040 percent, down from 0.045 percent last week.

The three-month rate was the lowest since three-month bills averaged 0.005 percent on Dec. 19, 2011. The six-month rate was the lowest since these bills averaged 0.030 percent on Sept. 16, 2013.

The discount rates reflect that the bills sell for less than face value. For a $10,000 bill, the three-month price was $9,999.74 while a six-month bill sold for $9,997.98. That would equal an annualized rate of 0.010 percent for the three-month bills and 0.041 percent for the six-month bills.

Separately, the Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills, a popular index for making changes in adjustable rate mortgages, edged up to 0.12 percent last week from 0.11 percent the previous week.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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