U.S. Fed buys $5.3 billion of mortgage bonds, sells none

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve bought $5.318 billion (3.32 billion pounds) of agency mortgage-backed securities in the week from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29, compared with $5.796 billion purchased the previous week, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said on Thursday. In a move to help the housing market begun in October 2011, the U.S. central bank has been using funds from principal payments on the agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, it holds to reinvest in agency MBS. The New York Fed said on its website the Fed sold no mortgage securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac or the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae, in the latest week. It sold $175 million the prior week.