Investments

A municipal bond market starved for a hearty batch of tax-exempt paper is not going to get it this week.

CHICAGO — There is cautious optimism for the nonprofit health care sector as operating performance and debt-market access show improvement after two years of financial turmoil.

ARKANSASCedarville School District No. 44 of Crawford CountyAug 5, 2010 . . . . . . $2,600,000

CALIFORNIAAlameda Public Financing AuthorityAug 4, 2010 . . . . . . $31,685,000

Tax-free money market funds caught a small breather last week with their smallest outflow in a month.

Nearly all of The Bond Buyer’s weekly yield indexes fell during the seven-day period ending Thursday as firmness persisted in the municipal market.

Natalie Cohen has become the latest new hire in the burgeoning market for high-profile municipal research analysts.

CALIFORNIABurlingame Financing AuthorityAug 3, 2010 . . . . . . $9,805,000

ARKANSASGreene County Technical School District No. T-1 of Greene CountyAug 4, 2010 . . . . . . $5,140,000

Massachusetts hospitals and higher educational institutions could face higher borrowing costs in the future as the state plans to fold the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority into the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Environmental sustainability. That was the main factor driving the California-based nonprofit RSF Social Finance to invest through its customized fixed-income portfolio in a municipal bond deal from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in March.

DALLAS — Moody’s Investors Service restored Texas Southern University’s credit to investment grade Tuesday as the historically black school continued its recovery from a financial scandal that threatened its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

CALIFORNIACalifornia Statewide Communities Development AuthorityJul 28, 2010 . . . . . . $7,000,000

ARKANSASSloan-Hendrix School District No 45 of Lawrence CountyAug 3, 2010 . . . . . . $1,860,000

Special assessment and tax-increment financing bonds from regions prone to property bubbles and busts are most vulnerable to the continuing weakness of the commercial real estate market, according to a Fitch Ratings report released Tuesday.

Table as of: 08/02/2010 16:03 PM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount* Approval

ALABAMAAlabama Water Pollution Control AuthorityAug 2, 2010 . . . . . . $64,750,000

ILLINOISGibson City-Melvin-Sibley Community Unit School District No. 5Jul 30, 2010 . . . . . . $6,415,000

While Build America Bonds have limited the supply of tax-exempt issuance, strong demand from retail investors is also playing a vital role in lowering issuers’ borrowing costs to historic lows.

Public sector spending on new institutional construction in New York City outpaced private spending during a recent two-year period, according to a building industry report.