Markets

New money deals helped issuance rise for the third straight month in May.

Four Twenty Seven developed climate change software to help bond investors assess future credit risk.

Municipal bonds were stronger at midday, holding onto hefty gains made earlier in the week as the last of the week’s larger deals came to market.

The market’s performance amid this week’s volatility shows many municipal investors are in it for the long haul. They need that coupon.

Pending home sales declined 1.3% to an index reading of 106.4 in April.

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer rose 5.1 points to 62.7in May, up from 57.6 in April, hitting the highest level since January.

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business increased to 67.90 in May from 58.26 in April.

Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell by 13,000 to 221,000 in the May 26 week, slightly below the 224,000 level expected.

Nominal personal consumption expenditures rose 0.6% in April, a stronger gain that expected, while core PCE prices rose 0.2% to keep the year/year rate at 1.8%

The April Midwest Economy Index climbed to 0.53 from an unrevised 0.52 in March, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Thursday.