News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Baltimore Hotel Corporation's convention center hotel revenue bonds used to finance a 756-bed Hilton were revised to stable from negative by Moody's Investors Service Thursday citing improved cash flow.

Stockton, Calif. received approval of its bankruptcy plan in October, but it continues to face challenges from its holdout creditor, Franklin Advisors.

Use of municipal bonds should be encouraged, and their prevalence should not be limited, because state and local governments face challenges financing projects through other means, Rep. Randy Hultgren said.

Weekly Economic indicators box Day Indicator Last Report Forecast Monday Empire State Manufacturing Nov.: 10.16 Dec.: 12.40 Monday Industrial Production Oct.: -0.1% Nov.: +0.7% Monday Capacity Utilization Oct.: 78.9 Nov.: 79.3 Monday NAHB Housing Index Nov.: 58 Dec.: 58 Tuesday Housing Starts Oct.: 1.009M Nov.: 1.040M Tuesday Building Permits Oct.: 1.080M Nov.: 1.060M Wednesday CPI Oct.: unch Nov.: -0.1% Wednesday CPI Core Oct.: +0.2% Nov.: +0.1% Wednesday Current Account Q2: -$98.5B Q3: -$97.4B Thursday Initial Jobless Claims 12/6: 294,000 12/13: 295,000 Thursday Continuing Claims 11/29: 2.514M 12/6: 2.440M Thursday Philly Fed Manufacturing Nov.: 40.8 Dec.: 27.0 Thursday Leading Indicators Oct.: +0.9% Nov.: +0.5%

Macomb County, Mich., plans to bring $260 million of bonds to market in March to pay off its retiree health care liability.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will bring as soon as Monday a $300 million sale that offers a mix of refunding securities and new-money designated as "green bonds" to fund projects including the mammoth deep tunnel project.

Topeka, Kan., will await a ruling from the Kansas Court of Appeals on a citizens petition before issuing $5 million of sales tax and revenue bonds to buy a financially trouble race track. The petition drive seeks a vote on whether to buy the track.

Subaru of America's decision to move its corporate headquarters to Camden, N.J. is a credit positive for one of the nation's poorest cities, Moody's Investors Service said on Dec. 11.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued an opinion that Detroit's Downtown Development Authority has the constitutional authority to use its funds for a new $650 million public-private hockey stadium and entertainment district.

The state of Alaska recently lowered its revenue forecast due to declining oil prices, with no immediate impact on its credit rating, according to Fitch Ratings.

Massachusetts should increase its rainy-day fund and further lower its expected pension fund rate of return, incoming state treasurer Deborah Goldberg told investors.

The municipal bond market is looking ahead to next week's lighter calendar - and the last full trading week of the year.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised its underlying rating on Ford County, Kan.'s general obligation sales tax revenue bonds one notch to A-plus from A.

Narayana Kocherlakota, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis president, announced Friday that he will not seek reappointment when his term expires on Feb. 29, 2016.

The House late Thursday passed a spending bill known as the "cromnibus" that would fund most federal government agencies through the end of the federal fiscal year.

Maine voters have approved $50 million of new borrowing to address economic needs, but a cloud remains over whether Republican governor Paul LePage will allow the bonds to proceed in 2015 after fighting against new borrowing in 2014.

The University of Michigan's preliminary December consumer sentiment index reading was 93.8, compared to the final November 88.8, and the preliminary November 89.4, according to market sources.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised its issuer credit rating to AA-minus from A-plus on Warrensburg, Mo.

The municipal bond market is looking ahead to next week — the last full trading week of the year. On Friday, traders were taking a breather after seeing heavy supply come to market in the past two weeks.