SECURITIES

Treasury Resumes Auction of Securities: The Treasury Department resumed auctioning securities Tuesday with the sale of 52-week Treasury bills, following congressional action Monday night increasing the statutory limit on the national debt from $4.145 trillion to $4.37 trillion, through Sept. 30. Interest rates on the 52-week bills, originally scheduled to be sold on April 1, rose to the highest level since February. The average discount rate was 3.24%, up from 3.09% at the last auction on March 4. It was the highest rate since 52-week bills averaged 3.32% on Feb. 4. The bills will carry an equivalent coupon interest rate of 3.37%, with each $10,000 in face value selling for $9,672.40. Sales totaled $14.35 billion out of bids of $43 billion. The Treasury will auction $22.4 billion in three-month and six-month bills today.