News and Information from Bond Buyer

New York's MTA approved $2.3 billion in new-money bonds and hired PFM Group and Mohanty Gargiulo as financial advisor and swap advisor, respectively.

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla is convening the legislature in a special session to reform the underfunded teachers' pension system.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in December, as the general business conditions index climbed to 7.0 from 6.5 in November, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators was up 0.8% in November following a revised 0.1% increase in October, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

Existing home sales fell 4.3% to a seasonally adjusted 4.90 million-unit rate in November from an unrevised 5.12 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Thursday.

Initial unemployment claims rose 10,000 to 379,000 in the Dec. 14 week, the payroll survey period.

Moody's Investors Service said it has upgraded the ratings on Rady Children's Hospital, Calif.'s revenue bonds to A1 from A2, affecting approximately $405 million of debt issued by the California Health Facilities Finance Authority and by the California Statewide Community Development Authority.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Housing Starts Oct.: 889,000 Nov.: 950,000 Nov.: 1.091M Building Permits Oct.: 1.039M Nov.: 990,000 Nov.: 1.007M

Dec. 19, 2013 Southeast: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Alabama Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.19 1.27 2.9 4.34 Florida Aa1/AAA/AAA 0.18 1.26 2.88 4.33 Georgia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.17 1.18 2.7 4.14 Kentucky Aa2/AA+/AA 0.19 1.29 2.93 4.39 Louisiana Aa2/AA/AA 0.18 1.29 2.92 4.37 Mississippi Aa2/AA/AA+ 0.2 1.29 2.93 4.35 North Carolina Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.17 1.18 2.7 4.14 South Carolina Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.17 1.2 2.73 4.16 Tennessee Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.17 1.18 2.75 4.19 Virginia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.18 2.7 4.14 West Virginia Aa1/AA/AA 0.2 1.29 2.94 4.4

12/11/2013 12/4/2013 State Iss Amount ($000s) Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Alabama 2 $19,170 0 $0 $19,170 Florida 9 719,680 8 562,940 156,740 Georgia 8 252,640 6 167,850 84,790 Kentucky 6 755,032 4 31,490 723,542 Louisiana 4 167,005 3 74,920 92,085 Mississippi 1 14,105 0 0 14,105 North Carolina 0 0 1 10,000 -10,000 South Carolina 1 10,530 2 87,245 -76,715 Tennessee 6 96,380 4 31,125 65,255 Virginia 0 0 2 117,197 -117,197 West Virginia 0 0 0 0 0

Thursday, December 19 Issuer St Description Amount

Week Of December 16 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, December 19 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, December 19 Issuer St Description Amount

INDIANA

ALABAMA

The Senate passed a budget agreement Wednesday which helps to avoid another federal government shutdown but also extends the cuts to the subsidy payments to issuers of Build America Bonds and other direct-pay bonds by two years.

The market for tax-exempt municipal bonds bounced around Wednesday before the Federal Reserve's announcement that it would slow its policy of quantitative easing sent yields higher at the end of the day.

Government

CHICAGO – A federal bankruptcy court judge abruptly suspended hearings on Detroit's proposed $350 million debtor-in-possession financing and settlement with its interest-rate swap counterparties Wednesday and urged the city to use the time to renegotiate the swaps termination deal.