News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Treasury Department said Thursday it will auction $25 billion 91-day bills and $23 billion 182-day discount bills Monday.

Fitch Ratings notes that during the first quarter of 2014 and for the 21st consecutive quarter, U.S. public finance rating downgrades outnumbered upgrades.

The spread between MCDX's Series 22 and Series 21 presents investors with another way to short Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bonds.

BMO Capital Markets has hired Garth Salisbury as the managing director of its public finance group's energy and infrastructure banking team. Salisbury will be in BMO's San Francisco office. He jumped to BMO from RBC, where he had been a managing director.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in April, as the general business conditions index climbed to 16.6 from 9.0 in March, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

Initial jobless claims climbed 2,000 to 304,000 in the week ended April 12, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico has posted its auditor's report on fiscal 2013 showing the GDB's exposure to the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority.

At a hearing supporters of a Chicago casino and expanded gambling statewide touted them as salve for the city and state's fiscal ills while opponents warned of over saturation and higher crime and addiction problems.

Restitution from seven corrupt former Bell, Calif. city leaders is expected to total more than $18 million, but the city's current finance director isn't convinced the city will see that money.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Housing Starts Feb.: 907,000 March: 975,000 March: 946,000 Building Permits Feb.: 1.018M March: 1,020,000 March: 990,000 Industrial Production Feb.: +0.6% March: +0.5% March: +0.7% Capacity Utilization Feb.: 78.8 March: 78.8 March: 79.2

Apr. 17, 2014 Southeast: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Alabama Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.15 1.21 2.47 3.69 Florida Aa1/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.24 2.45 3.7 Georgia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.17 2.3 3.51 Kentucky Aa2/AA+/AA 0.17 1.32 2.52 3.74 Louisiana Aa2/AA/AA 0.16 1.27 2.5 3.72 Mississippi Aa2/AA/AA+ 0.17 1.27 2.51 3.69 North Carolina Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.17 2.3 3.51 South Carolina Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.15 1.2 2.33 3.53 Tennessee Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.15 1.19 2.35 3.56 Virginia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.16 2.28 3.49 West Virginia Aa1/AA/AA 0.16 1.27 2.5 3.73

4/16/2014 4/9/2014 State Iss Amount ($000s) Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Alabama 0 $0 0 $0 $0 Florida 2 37,300 6 165,125 -127,825 Georgia 3 41,325 5 145,295 -103,970 Kentucky 4 97,545 5 97,900 -355 Louisiana 3 53,180 3 35,070 18,110 Mississippi 0 0 1 1,600 -1,600 North Carolina 2 377,045 2 450,985 -73,940 South Carolina 0 0 2 150,000 -150,000 Tennessee 1 17,350 3 30,475 -13,125 Virginia 0 0 0 0 0 West Virginia 0 0 0 0 0

Week Of April 21 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, April 17 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, April 17 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, April 17 Issuer St Description Amount

ARKANSAS

ARKANSAS

Government

Moody's Investors Service improved its outlook on Burlington, Vt.'s Baa3 general obligation rating to stable.