News and Information from Bond Buyer

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has become chair of the National Governors Association for 2015-2016 and has unveiled an initiative to highlight governors' innovative solutions to crucial programs.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to leave the door open for a possible U.S. Supreme Court appeal after the state's high court voided a state pension system overhaul.

House plans to leave for a long recess Wednesday after voting on a 90-day extension of federal highway funding.

Dallas sees strong demand for $109 million of bonds for a badly needed parking garage as the city deals with an airline battle for gates at the remodeled airport.

Beyond the initial cheerleading, questions about transit pieces follow the announced construction of a new LaGuardia Airport in New York.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $26 billion of two-year notes with a 5/8% coupon at a 0.690% yield, a price of 99.871114.

As fund flows turned positive for the first time in 12 weeks, analysts said the impact of Puerto Rico and Chicago on investor behavior may have been overstated, and that fund flows reflect only a corner of the municipal bond market.

Prices of top-shelf municipal bonds weakened at mid-session, traders said, with yields on some maturities strengthening by as much as two basis points.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx wants the governors of New Jersey and New York to meet with him in two weeks to advance a stalled Hudson River tunnel project.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $40 billion of four-week bills at a 0.050% high yield, a price of 99.996111.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Consumer Confidence June: 99.8 July: 100.6 July: 90.9

Texas service sector activity "picked up in July," according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index gained to 19.1 from 13.2.

Columbus, Ohio, in the midst of a downtown building boom, heads into market this week for its annual summer borrowing bearing triple-A bond ratings.

Service sector activity "accelerated in July," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "increased moderately in July," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index improved to 13 in July from 7 in June.

The consumer confidence index fell to 90.9 in July from a revised 99.8 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised its long-term rating to A-plus from A on Mountain Lake, Minn.'s general obligation bonds.

The municipal bond market will be awaiting the sale of several large deals in the primary on Tuesday as traders keep an eye on volatile bond yields.

Jul. 28, 2015 Southwest: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Arizona Aa3/AA+/NR 0.35 1.45 2.5 3.47 Arkansas Aa1/AA/NR 0.3 1.34 2.33 3.29 Colorado Aa1/AA/NR 0.3 1.38 2.38 3.37 Kansas Aa1/AA+/NR 0.28 1.38 2.38 3.33 New Mexico Aaa/AA+/NR 0.28 1.33 2.29 3.27 Oklahoma Aa2/AA+/AA+ 0.32 1.41 2.4 3.37 Texas Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.3 1.36 2.39 3.32 Utah Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.28 1.27 2.2 3.15