Treasuries

Treasuries are securities sold by the federal government to investors as a means to fund its operations, cover the interest on U.S. government debt and pay off maturing securities.

Treasuries can either be T-bills, T-notes or T-bonds, each with its own maturity dates.
T-Bills: one-month, six-month and one-year.
T-notes: more than one year and up to 10 years, with two-year, five-year and 10-year T-notes now sold.
T- bonds: 10 years or longer. The 30-year bond is the only T-bond now sold.

Because they carry the full backing of the government, Treasuries are typically considered the safest investment. They are in much greater demand today because of the stock market volatility and the over-all economic crisis. While Treasuries pay lower rates than most other debt securities of similar maturity, they have been the safe-haven choice for investors fearful that their other holdings will continue to decrease in value.

Since yields move in the opposite direction of sales prices, the recent increase in demand has pushed up prices and push down yields.