Bonds creep up on Fed official remarks
Treasurys climb after two Fed presidents hint at the end of the rate hike campaign; dollar splits.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Treasury prices edged higher Monday as investors digested hints by two Federal Reserve officials that the central bank is close to winding down its interest rate hike campaign.

The dollar split against the euro and yen.

The benchmark 10-year note rose 2/32 to 101, yielding 4.37 percent, relatively unchanged from late Friday. The 30-year bond climbed 4/32 to 112-04/32 to yield 4.55 percent, down from 4.56 in the previous session.

The two-year note was relatively unchanged, yielding 4.35 percent, while the five-year note rose two ticks, yielding 4.31.

Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

In a session lacking any major economic data, investors focused on comments by Atlanta Fed President Jack Guynn, who said the U.S. economy looked strong and the central bank must work to keep inflation in check.

Traders also scrutinized a speech by Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig who indicated that the Fed funds rate is "within the range of neutrality".

Futures on the Federal Reserve's rate hike campaign show over a 90-percent chance of a January rate increase. The likelihood of an increase at their March meeting stands at 56 percent.

The remarks by the two Fed officials came against the backdrop of the Dow industrials breaking the 11,000 mark first time in over 4-1/2 years Monday. An extended run over 11,000 could point to an underlying strength in the U.S. economy.

"It's another positive factor for consumer confidence," Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Banc of America Capital Management told Reuters. "The stock performance confirms some of the strong economic fundamentals and keeps the expansion on track."

Investors will have to wait until Friday for more clues about the economy's strength when December's retail sales figures and the Producer Price Index are released.

After losing major ground against the euro and the yen Friday, the dollar was mixed Monday.

The euro bought $1.2085, down $1.2159 late Friday in New York. The dollar bought ¥114.40, down slightly from ¥114.42 in the previous session.

--from staff and wire reports

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