I want to calibrate US treasury bonds to get a benchmark curve as an exercise. I know that choice of bonds may be discretionary. But
- can you point me to any good public data source where I can get UST data?
- should I only choose bonds at par?
- should I choose zero coupons (STRIPS) only or okay to have coupon-bearing bonds as well?
I am here not looking for full-fledged answer but just a right direction to jump-start myself.