Issuance of commercial paper has risen for the first time in seven weeks according to the Federal Reserve, and the resumption of growth reflects the central bank’s support for the market.

The size of this crucial source of short-term funding for companies and financial institutions jumped $100.5bn for the week ending Wednesday. That gain, however, offsets less than a third of the $366bn contraction seen during the preceding six weeks in the wake of Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy in mid-September.