Andrew Ackerman

WASHINGTON — House and Senate conferees reached an agreement early Friday morning to reconcile competing versions of financial regulatory reform legislation, concluding their negotiations after a marathon final day of debate.

WASHINGTON — New orders of durable goods fell 1.1% in May, a decline that matched economist estimates and was driven mostly by reduced transportation equipment orders, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON – New orders of durable goods fell 1.1% in May, a decline that matched economists’ estimates and was driven mostly by a decline in transportation equipment orders, the Commerce Department reported today.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board launched a redesigned website this week with new content and features, better navigation, and a contemporary style that aims to provide improved access to information about MSRB rules, market disclosures, and data collected and disseminated by the board.

WASHINGTON — The inclusion of a free, real-time feed of municipal bond ratings on the Electronic Municipal Market Access system has long been a goal of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, which operates the disclosure and transparency portal.

WASHINGTON — The inclusion of a free, real-time feed of municipal bond ratings on the Electronic Municipal Market Access system has long been a goal of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, which operates the disclosure and transparency portal.

The two Democrats leading the House-Senate conference working to hammer out a single financial regulatory reform bill stressed yesterday that conferees need to wrap up their work by tomorrow to ensure passage of the bill through each chamber next week, before lawmakers break for the July 4 recess.

WASHINGTON — House and Senate conferees meeting to hammer out a financial regulatory reform bill appear to have reached an agreement that would allow the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board to regulate financial advisers and other market intermediaries.

WASHINGTON — Led largely by an increase in the deficit on goods, the imbalance in the U.S. current account rose in the first quarter to $109 billion from a revised $100.9 billion in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON — House and Senate conferees meeting to hammer out a financial regulatory reform bill appear to have reached an agreement that would allow the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board to regulate financial advisers and other market intermediaries.

WASHINGTON - Led largely by an increase in the deficit on goods, the imbalance in the U.S. current account rose in the first quarter to $109.0 billion from a revised $100.9 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, the Commerce Department reported this morning.

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission is stepping up its enforcement efforts in the municipal securities market for the first time in more than a decade, with a staff of roughly 30 attorneys charged with investigating and trying muni and public pension fund cases.

House conferees meeting to hammer out compromise financial regulatory reform legislation potentially handed the Securities and Exchange Commission at least two significant victories yesterday: the authority to self-fund its operations without annual appropriations from Congress and the authority to register and regulate municipal financial advisers.

WASHINGTON — The producer price index declined 0.3% in May as it was dragged down by a 1.5% decrease in energy prices, the Labor Department reported yesterday. It was third drop for the wholesale pricing gauge in the past four months.

WASHINGTON - The producer price index in May declined by 0.3%, led lower by a 1.5% decrease in energy prices, the Labor Department reported today.

WASHINGTON — House conferees debating financial regulatory reform legislation today are expected to vote on amendments that would require the Securities and Exchange Commission to register and regulate municipal financial advisers, replacing Senate language that would give such regulatory authority to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.

WASHINGTON — Municipal market regulatory issues will not be studied for up to two years under changes to the base legislation Senate and House conferees are using to reconcile their competing legislative proposals to overhaul financial regulations.

WASHINGTON — Initial jobless claims fell to 456,000 for the week ending June 5, the third straight decrease, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims fell to 453,000 for the week ending June 5, the third straight decrease, as the four-week average increased for the fifth consecutive week, the Labor Department reported today.

ATLANTA — Dealers are calling for the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board to revise and clarify several aspects of draft interpretive guidance that outlines the steps they must take to ensure the prices they charge customers when buying and selling municipal securities are fair and reasonable.