Public finance

A proposed merger between two large nonprofit healthcare systems is a credit positive for the nonprofit healthcare sector, Moody's Investors Service says.

An association representing safety-net hospitals is lobbying Congress to restore cuts that are built into the new federal health care law.

House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers asked Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to help eliminate rules requiring municipalities to defease outstanding bonds when selling or leasing their water systems to a private company.

Industrial development revenue bonds have shown the best total return of all municipal bond sectors so far this year.

In the third quarter 79% of Moody's Investors Service's ratings actions were downgrades.

Table as of: 10/25/2012 14:03 PM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount

ILLINOIS

ALABAMA

Investors poured $666 million into weekly reporting municipal bond mutual funds this past week, marking a 28th straight week of inflows.

Neither primary volume nor moderately volatile Treasuries did much to upset the municipal market's steady mien this week. Despite the modest backup in most rates among munis and Treasuries on the week, muni bond indexes held their levels.

Tax-exempt money market funds continued to lose cash for a second week in a row as total net assets decreased by $679 million to $266.74 billion in the week ended Oct. 22, according to The Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com.

Bonds have played a role in financing spaceports.

Table as of: 10/24/2012 15:22 PM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount

CALIFORNIA

ALABAMA

Spaceports are popping up all over the U.S., as both existing airports and brand new facilities position themselves to profit from a new age of commercial space travel and transport, but the industry is still in its infancy.

Moody's said the ongoing wave of mergers sweeping the non-profit health care sector led to an uptick in upgrades during the third quarter and could reverse earlier expectations that downgrades would outpace upgrades for the full year.

Table as of: 10/23/2012 13:29 PM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount

ARKANSAS

COLORADO