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Moody’s: ‘Almost no chance’ for Obama budget

President Barack Obama’s budget proposal would be “marginally positive” for U.S. credit ratings in the short term, but there is “almost no chance” Congress will pass the plan as it was presented, Moody’s Investors Service said on Monday. Get the full story »

Illinois to sell pension bonds Tuesday, Wednesday

From Bond Buyer | Illinois plans to sell $3.7 billion of taxable general obligation bonds Tuesday and Wednesday, the state said Friday morning.

State AG’s office raises nearly $1B in state revenue

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office says it raised nearly $1 billion in state revenue last year through a variety of litigation and the collection of estate-tax revenues.

Fed’s Evans: Current bond buys may suffice

The U.S. economy still needs the Federal Reserve’s super-easy monetary policy, a top official said on Thursday, but the recovery may be strong enough June that the central bank will not need to extend its current $600 billion bond-buying program. Get the full story »

O’Hare expansion lawsuit to move to trial

By Jon Hilkevitch | United and American airlines’ lawsuit against Chicago over the expansion of O’Hare International Airport will move toward trial after negotiations have so far failed to break an impasse, officials said Thursday.

Both sides on Thursday asked Judge Richard Billik of Cook County Circuit Court to lift a one-week delay on hearing the lawsuit, which seeks to prevent the city from borrowing more money to keep the O’Hare project going.

The delay was intended to give negotiations a chance to resolve major differences over the financing and timing of new runways. Get the full story »

Ill. Senate bill on minimum wage gets more support

A bill that would increase Illinois’ minimum wage by 65 cents this summer is slowly gathering support from Democrat lawmakers from Chicago.

Sen. William Delgado and Sen. Rickey Hendon added their names Tuesday to a growing list of supporters of Senate Bill 1565, which was introduced earlier this month.

The bill would increase the minimum wage by 50 cents, plus the rate of inflation every year, until it is restored to its “historic level” above $10 per hour. Get the full story »

GOP budget chairman assails Obama spending plan

The House Budget Committee chairman says Republicans don’t want to see the government shut down in a fight with President Barack Obama over spending priorities.

Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan also tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” the GOP doesn’t want to “rubber stamp” spending policies it opposes just to keep the government running. Get the full story »

Obama pledges $1.1 trillion in deficit cuts

President Barack Obama is sending Congress a $3.73 trillion spending blueprint that pledges $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade through spending cuts and tax increases.

Illinois bonds, budget in muni market spotlight

Illinois’ lingering fiscal problems will be center stage in the U.S. municipal bond market next week as the state sells $3.7 billion of bonds and as its governor unveils a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Get the full story »

Judge approves delay in O’Hare expansion suit

By Jon Hilkevitch | A Cook County judge on Thursday approved a five-day delay in hearing the lawsuit that United and American airlines have filed to stop the city of Chicago from borrowing about $1 billion for the expansion of O’Hare International Airport.

SEC watchdog says it has uncovered waste

U.S. securities regulators have made numerous missteps in procuring and managing contracts including office leases, the agency’s internal watchdog said on Thursday. Get the full story »

Fed to face Congress on debit fee crackdown

The Federal Reserve may give U.S. banks insight into whether it will scale back its proposed crackdown on debit card processing fees, when a top official testifies before a congressional panel next week. Get the full story »

CEO: Chrysler must shed ’shyster’ bailout loans

Chrysler is working to refinance what its chief executive characterized as “shyster loans” that the Obama administration extended as part of a bailout to keep the automaker from collapse in 2009.

“I want to pay back the shyster loans,” Sergio Marchionne said at an industry conference, using a derogatory term for an unprincipled lawyer or politician. “Pay back the loans, get those out and then take (the company) public.”

Marchionne, who is also CEO of Italy’s Fiat SpA, has said repeatedly that the high interest rates on $5.7 billion that Chrysler owes to the U.S. Treasury have been an obstacle in the automaker’s return to profitability. Get the full story »

Boeing-Airbus fight with ads as deadline nears

Boeing Co. and EADS launched dueling advertising campaigns on Thursday as the companies’ bitter battle to capture U.S. refueling aircraft orders valued at up to $50 billion neared another pivotal point.

Boeing and Airbus parent EADS must submit their final proposal revisions, also known as “best and final offers” for 179 new aerial tankers by Feb. 11 after separate meetings with U.S. Air Force officials on Monday, Feb. 7. Get the full story »

Broker talks up CME Group head for Ill. governor

CME’s politically-minded chairman, Terry Duffy, might make a good Illinois governor, says Chicago futures broker and exchange-industry gadfly John Lothian. Sending Duffy to Springfield would give state businesses better representation and continue a long tradition of public service by Chicago’s exchange leadership, according to Lothian. Get the full story »