Patrick Temple-West

The Virginia General Assembly is weighing legislation that will require more disclosure from local issuers on the bonds they issue. It also is considering the authorization of almost $4 billion of general obligation bonds for transportation projects.

North Carolina Monday released its 2010 debt affordability report and said that the state has “substantially exhausted” its general fund debt capacity until fiscal 2012.

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget, released yesterday, estimates a $1.267 trillion deficit, or 8.3% of gross domestic product, and proposes raising taxes on wealthy Americans that could boost demand for tax-exempt municipal bonds.

Construction spending fell 1.2% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $902.5 billion, more than twice the median economist estimate, as a record high in federal construction spending did not offset declines in private construction, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

Personal income rose 0.4%, while personal spending increased 0.2% in December, the smallest increase since September, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Construction spending fell 1.2% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $902.5 billion, more than twice the median economist estimate, as a record high in federal construction spending did not offset declines in private construction, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON - Personal income rose 0.4%, while personal spending increased 0.2% in December, the smallest increase since September, the Commerce Department reported today.

Gross domestic product increased at a 5.7% annual rate in the advance fourth-quarter report, surpassing economists’ estimates and posting the largest quarterly increase in almost six years as businesses began restocking their inventories and exports jumped, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority voted on Thursday to increase all fares by 10 cents and to tap its reserve fund to close a $40.1 million revenue shortfall for fiscal 2010.

WASHINGTON – Gross domestic product increased at a 5.7% annual rate in the advance fourth quarter report, surpassing economists’ estimates and posting the largest quarterly increase in almost six years, as business began restocking their inventories and exports jumped, the Commerce Department reported today.

Initial jobless claims decreased 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 470,000 for the week ending Jan. 23 from a downwardly revised 478,000 in the previous week, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims decreased 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 470,000 for the week ending Jan. 23 from a downwardly revised 478,000 in the previous week, the Labor Department reported today.

New home sales dropped 7.6% in December to 342,000 homes purchased at an annual rate, the lowest monthly total since March, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON - New home sales dropped 7.6% in December to 342,000 homes purchased at an annual rate, the lowest monthly total since March, the Commerce Department reported today.

Existing home sales sank 16.7% in December to a 5.45 million annual rate as the year-over-year median price increased for the first time in more than two years, the National Association of Realtors said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Existing home sales sank 16.7% in December to a 5.45 million annual rate, the largest monthly decline on record, as the year-over-year median price increased for the first time in more than two years, the National Association of Realtors reported today.

WASHINGTON — The Virginia Housing Development Authority this week expects to sell $107.3 million of homeownership mortgage bonds as part of its second act under the Treasury Department’s New Issue Bond Program.

Initial jobless claims increased to a seasonally adjusted 482,000 for the week ending Jan. 16, the largest number of initial claims since November, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims increased to a seasonally adjusted 482,000 for the week ending Jan. 16, the largest number of initial claims since November, attributed to Monday's federal holiday and an "administrative backload" at the state level lingering from the holiday season, the Labor Department reported today.

The producer price index increased 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in December as year-over-year prices rose by the largest amount in 14 months, the Labor Department reported yesterday.