News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Atlanta City Council approved a $1.9 billion budget for fiscal 2015, which includes $250 million in general obligation bonds that voters must approve in a referendum.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the city of Oshkosh, Wis.'s senior lien storm water revenue debt to A1 from Aa3.

C.M. de Crinis, a Glendale, Calif. based financial advisory firm, hired veteran public finance banker Richard Kiss to cover Northern California. Kiss said the move was prompted by changes to municipal advisor regulations.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised various ratings on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, N.Y., including its issuer credit rating and existing transportation revenue bonds to AA-minus from A-plus.

The New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority intends to sell roughly $200 million of second resolution, fixed-rate tax-exempt bonds on June 25

The $400 million Port Authority of New York and New Jersey consolidated bonds auctioned on Tuesday are "liquid" despite Securities and Exchange Commission Probe, according to investors.

The House Appropriations Committee has unveiled a fiscal year 2015 bill that would fund the Securities and Exchange Commission at $1.4 billion - $50 million above the fiscal year 2014 level and $300 million below President Obama's budget request.

The California legislature approved a budget ahead of the constitutional deadline for the fourth year in a row.

Structural protections and a yield-hungry market are apt to boost interest in bonds for the Detroit Public Lighting Authority, despite the city's ongoing Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $30 billion of four-week bills at a 0.030% high yield, a price of 99.997667.

Chief executive officers cut 2014 gross domestic product expectations to a 2.3% annual pace of growth from last quarter's 2.4% projection, according to results from the Business Roundtable's second quarter 2014 CEO Economic Outlook Survey.

The New York region's service sector increased in June, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Business Leaders Survey, released Tuesday.

Moody's Investors Service has placed the University Medical Center Corp.'s Baa1 rating on review for downgrade after the Tucson nonprofit posted a large operating loss in the first nine months of its fiscal year.

Nixon Peabody hired Vincent Casey from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as part of a buildout in project finance and public-private partnerships.

Groundbreaking for new U.S. home construction slumped 6.5% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.001 million units as building permits dropped 6.4% to an annual rate of 991,000 units, according to Commerce Department data released Tuesday.

The nearly $1 billion Georgia competitive general obligation sale should indicate the muni market's demand for high-grade paper, traders said.

A positive outlook from Fitch Ratings on E-470 Public Highway Authority signals a possible upgrade on the tollway's BBB-minus credit.

Rhode Island's Senate sent an $8.7 billion budget to Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who said he would sign the plan, which includes a payment on bonds the state agreed to back for the failed 38 Studios firm.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Empire State Manufacturing May: 19.01 June: 15.00 June: 19.28 Industrial Production April: -0.3% May: +0.5% May: +0.6% Capacity Utilization April: 78.9 May: 78.9 May: 79.1

Jun. 17, 2014 Southwest: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Arizona Aa3/AA+/NR 0.19 1.5 2.64 3.72 Arkansas Aa1/AA/NR 0.14 1.33 2.41 3.46 Colorado Aa1/AA/NR 0.15 1.42 2.56 3.62 Kansas Aa1/AA+/NR 0.14 1.38 2.48 3.53 New Mexico Aaa/AA+/NR 0.14 1.34 2.45 3.51 Oklahoma Aa2/AA+/AA+ 0.15 1.41 2.54 3.6 Texas Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.32 2.41 3.47 Utah Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.3 2.33 3.37