Treasurys slightly lower to end very good year

Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:01:15 -0500

Treasurys lower amid very thin trading, after the government said
initial claims for jobless benefits fell last week.

ECONOMIC REPORT: INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL; CONTINUING CLAIMS AT 26-YEAR HIGH

First-time applications for state unemployment benefits fall 94,000 to
stand at 492,000 in the week ended Dec. 27, as the Labor Department
cites seasonal volatility in explaining the surprising drop.

EUROPE MARKETS: LONDON ENDS HIGHER TO CAP OFF A DISMAL YEAR; FLAT ACTION IN
PARIS

European shares move broadly higher at the end of a dismal year for
global markets, with London scoring gains and Paris ending all but
flat.

MADOFF'S ALLEGED FRAUD CLAIMS SOME FAMOUS VICTIMS: REPORTS

Among those who have lost money in the alleged Ponzi scheme run by
Bernard Madoff are some high-profile names, such as economist Henry
Kaufman and actor Kevin Bacon, according to media reports. Key
disclosures about investors losses are due later Wednesday.

CAPITOL REPORT: OBAMA'S 'GOING GREEN' POLICIES HOLD PROMISES -- AND PITFALLS

They're calling it the "transition to green," a motto fashioned by
environmental groups' pining for the first 100 days of Barack Obama's
presidency. It envisions, among other things, increased funding for
alternative-energy development. Federal outlays for new jobs in this
sector would also constitute a "massive" transition to an economy that
looks favorablyon emissions-free energy sources and rewards ways to
save energy, and potentially create many jobs along the way. But such
ambitious policy proposales carry pitfalls as well as promises.