Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia on Tuesday expects to issue $711.2 million of income-tax secured revenue bonds, including $696 million of refunding bonds that will reduce outstanding debt to keep the city under its 12% debt-to-expenditures cap.

New factory orders for manufactured goods increased 1.7% in January, rising for the fifth consecutive month, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

U.S. nonfarm productivity increased at a 6.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter, revised higher from a 6.2% increase reported last month, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

Initial jobless claims decreased to 469,000 for the week ending Feb. 27, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON — New factory orders for manufactured goods increased 1.7% in January, meeting economists’ estimates and rising for the fifth consecutive month, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON – U.S. nonfarm productivity increased at a 6.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, revised higher from a 6.2% increase reported last month, the Labor Department reported today.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims decreased to 469,000 for the week ending Feb. 27, in line with economists' estimates, the Labor Department reported today.

State and local governments could face 50 years of fiscal troubles — through 2060 — if current policy stays the same, the congressional Government Accountability Office said in a report published this week.

The University of North Carolina system expects to issue $151.4 million of pool revenue bonds for six state universities next week as the state’s difficult budget decisions may affect tuition rates.

States’ financial troubles do not pose a systemic risk to the municipal bond market and total issuance should be about the same in 2010 as last year, according to economists surveyed by the Regional Bond Dealers Association for its first semiannual economic forecast. However, they warned that states’ steep spending cuts pose a significant negative threat to the national economy.

WASHINGTON — ­The Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority is expected Wednesday to price the state’s first charter school municipal bonds, an achievement 18 months in the making and another sign that investor appetite for credit risk has returned.

Construction spending declined 0.6% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $884.1 billion, the fourth consecutive monthly drop, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

Personal income rose 0.1% in January, while personal consumption increased 0.5% as disposable personal income fell for the first time since July, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Construction spending declined 0.6% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $884.1 billion, the fourth consecutive monthly drop, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON - Personal income rose 0.1% in January, while personal consumption increased 0.5% as disposable personal income fell for the first time since July, the Commerce Department reported today.

Existing home sales fell 7.2% in January to a 5.05 million annual rate, exceeding economists’ estimates, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Existing home sales fell 7.2% in January to a 5.05 million annual rate, exceeding economists’ estimates and marking the second-largest monthly decline on record, the National Association of Realtors reported today.

Initial jobless claims unexpectedly increased 22,000 to 496,000 for the week ending Feb. 20, the highest level since November, partly due to the weather, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims unexpectedly increased 22,000 to 496,000 for the week ending Feb. 20, the highest level since November, partly due to the weather, the Labor Department reported today.

January new home sales plunged to a record low of 309,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, well below economists’ estimates, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.