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2018.12.2115:17:00UTC+00Treasuries Close Roughly Flat Following Lackluster Session

Treasuries showed a lack of direction throughout much of the trading session on Friday before ending the day roughly flat.

Bond prices spent most of the day lingering near the unchanged line. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, inched up by less than a basis point to 2.792 percent.

The choppy trading on the day came as traders kept an eye on developments on Capitol Hill amid a looming government shutdown.

With just hours to go before a midnight deadline, lawmakers appear to be at an impasse over funding for President Donald Trump's controversial wall on the border with Mexico.

The currently Republican-controlled House voted 217 to 185 in favor of a short-term spending bill late Thursday, although the bill includes more than $5 billion for the construction of the wall opposed by Democrats.

House Republicans took up the bill, which also provides $7.8 billion for disaster relief, after Trump said he would not sign a stopgap spending approved the Senate that did not include wall funding.

The Senate bill passed by a voice vote Wednesday night would fund key government agencies through February 8th but pushes a debate over funding for the wall into the next Congress, when Democrats will control the House.

The Senate is not expected to pass a spending bill including wall funding, as Democratic votes would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold.

Trump has sought to blame Democrats for the potential shutdown after previously saying he would be "proud to shut down the government for border security," an issue that helped propel him to the White House.

"The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED," Trump said in a post on Twitter.

"If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time," he added. "People don't want Open Borders and Crime!"

Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off mixed economic data on durable goods orders, third quarter GDP, personal income and spending and consumer sentiment.

Developments regarding the potential government shutdown may impact trading next week, although trading activity is likely to be subdued due to the Christmas Day holiday next Tuesday.

Economic reports on new home sales, consumer confidence, and pending home sales may attract attention later in the week.

Bond traders are also likely to keep an eye on the results of the Treasury Department's auctions of two-year, five-year and seven-year notes.

The Treasury plans to sell $40 billion worth of two-year notes next Monday, $41 billion worth of five-year notes next Wednesday and $32 billion worth of seven-year notes next Thursday.

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