News and Information from Bond Buyer

Yields on top-rated municipal bonds finished as much as seven basis points higher on Thursday, traders said, as prices of U.S. Treasury bonds swooned ahead of Friday’s employment report.

The California controller’s office said the Lottery Education Fund totals rose slightly this year to $1.39 billion.

Oregon's latest two-year state general fund revenue projection is up slightly from earlier this year, though state leaders remain guarded about how stable its economic gains really are.

The House passed a multiyear transportation funding bill on Thursday that provides $305 billion over five years.

Connecticut’s $650 million sale drew the highest amount of GO retail interest in nearly 18 months, said state Treasurer Denise Nappier.

Standard & Poor's raised its long-term rating to AA-minus from A-plus on Reno, Nev.'s general obligation limited tax sewer refunding bonds.

Puerto Rico general obligation debt (CC/Negative) continues to remain highly vulnerable to default, in Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' view, despite payment in full by the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico (GDB) of $354 million in scheduled debt service on Dec. 1, including $267 million of GDB note principal guaranteed by Puerto Rico, and the governor's release of an executive order that diverts revenue, which would otherwise support about $7 billion of non-GO debt issued by certain public corporations, to the payment of GO debt service.

Facing a fiscal year 2016 shortfall of about $159 million, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has proposed slashing expenses and borrowing from the state's rainy day account to offset a sharp fall in energy industry revenues.

Yields on top-rated municipal bonds were as much as two basis points stronger at mid-session, traders said, reversing the previous three sessions' downward drift.

The National Association of Bond Lawyers is urging tax regulators to liberalize existing safe harbors for longer term management and service contracts and to consider rule changes to facilitate the use of tax-exempt bonds in public-private partnerships financing infrastructure projects.

Luzerne County, Pa., is looking for a lender after it got judicial signoff on $20 million in emergency borrowing to avoid a shutdown.

Moody’s Investors Service revised the outlook on its Baa3 rating of Roosevelt University in Chicago to negative as it struggles with enrollment loses.

Moody’s Investors Service has placed Indianapolis Public Schools Aa2 rating under review with its direction uncertain due to the lack of current financial information.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Initial Claims 11/21: 260,000 11/28: 269,000 11/28: 269,000 Continuing Claims 11/14: 2.155M 11/21: 2.195M 11/21: 2.161M Factory Orders Sept.: -0.8% Oct.: n/a Oct.: +1.5% ISM Non-Manufacturing Oct.: 59.1 Nov.: 58.6 Nov.: 55.9

The Treasury Department said it will auction $24 billion three-year notes on Dec. 8.

The Treasury Department said it will auction $21 billion 9-year 11-month 2 1/4% notes on Dec. 9.

The Treasury Department said it will auction $13 billion 29-year, 11-month 3/4% bonds on Dec. 10.

The Treasury Department said it will auction $14 billion year bills on Dec. 8.

The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $28 billion 91-day bills and $26 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

A district that replenishes Los Angeles-area aquifers is selling bonds for a project designed to help eliminate its use of imported water.