NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Dec. 8, 2003—Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it assigned its 'A' rating to New York City's $680 million general obligation bonds fiscal 2004 series F, and affirmed its 'A' rating on the city's approximately $29 billion of outstanding parity debt, reflecting the city's substantial and diverse economic base, which is slowly recovering from the recent national recession and economic repercussions of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; a well-managed financial program that has proactively responded to record budget gaps; and a high debt burden by all measures. The bonds are scheduled to sell tomorrow. The outlook is stable. New York City will privately place $500 million of the fiscal 2004 series F fixed-rate bonds
