Bonds

Municipals were a touch weaker in spots ahead of another robust new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities were up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Friday was at 63%, the three-year at 62%, the five-year at 60%, the 10-year at 60% and the 30-year at 81%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST

The Senate Thursday overwhelmingly passed a five-year Federal Aviation Administration authorization that features a 20% boost for major airport capital improvement projects. The bipartisan measure, which had been stalled by negotiations over an ultimately successful move to add additional flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, heads now to the House, which is expected to

The Virginia General Assembly is set to pass a new budget next week after a saga that saw the state’s Republican governor and the Democratically controlled legislature clash over environmental issues, school funding, and pay-fors.     Although the budget deal still needs to be officially approved during the special session that begins Monday, Gov. Glenn

Chicago’s iconic lakefront is also its portal to water supplies from Lake Michigan, serving not only the city but 120 of its suburbs. But Chicago’s top suburban customer and Illinois’ largest water wholesaler, the DuPage Water Commission, now says it plans to strike out on its own. The commission revealed this week that it has

The long-planned Kentucky-Ohio Brent Spence Bridge won environmental approval from the Biden administration Friday, a “major milestone” for the bistate project that’s been in planning for more than 10 years. “This is an important step forward in bringing efficiency to our nation’s supply chain,” said said Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “The project will address one

Current strategies to deploy public and private capital toward a green energy transition are experiencing mixed success, amid conflicting trends as both global oil demand and clean energy deployment rates rise together, according to panelists at the Milken Institute’s Global conference this week in Beverly Hills. “As many folks know, we aren’t doing that well

Municipal Market Analytics said municipal bond impairments from January through April were the highest since they began tracking in 2009, with the charter school sector totaling most impairments. MMA recorded 63 impairments this calendar year, with 59 of them coming in January to April, according to Wednesday’s issue of Default Trends. The four-month total was

Municipals were little changed Thursday as muni mutual funds saw inflows top $1 billion. U.S. Treasuries were firmer, and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 64%, the three-year at 63%, the five-year at 61%, the 10-year at 60% and the 30-year at 82%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said for years that its congestion pricing plan is crucial to its budget. In a new debt profile report, the New York State comptroller backed the MTA up.  Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report questioned the MTA’s delayed capital plans, expensive borrowing habits and climbing debt service costs — and

While federal efforts to forgive student loans generate headlines and lawsuits, some states and municipalities are tying bond-financed mortgage programs to student loan forgiveness to boost home ownership.   “The Maryland SmartBuy program is designed to help first-time home buyers who have student loan obligations qualify for acquisition financing under the Maryland Mortgage Program,” said Sergei

Municipals saw losses Thursday following U.S. Treasuries to higher yields, while equities sold off after GDP growth slowed in the first quarter. While growth slowed, inflation was hotter, said ING Chief International Economist James Knightley, as the core PCE deflator rose 3.7% on an annualized basis, three-tenths of a point higher than expected. “Unsurprisingly Treasury yields

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday vetoed tax cut legislation that she called “too expensive” and offered lawmakers a less-costly alternative. The Democratic governor, who in January vetoed a previous tax reduction bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislation, said the latest measure “jeopardizes our state’s future fiscal stability.”    House Bill 2036, which cleared the House

Brightline, Florida’s privately owned passenger train, hit the tax-exempt market Thursday, after weeks of marketing, with more than $3.1 billion of low-investment grade and unrated bonds, some of which carried yields as high as 12%. The company enjoyed strong demand for all the paper, which was more than two times oversubscribed and saw more than

The Mayo Clinic has ambitious plans that start at home. When the Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit healthcare system updated its five-year plan last year, it said the move was part of a “strategy to transform healthcare globally.” The update reflected changes from a $5 billion expansion of Mayo’s flagship Rochester campus.  Mayo’s board of trustees approved

In a first-of-its-kind transaction, the city of Quincy, Massachusetts, issued $10 million of tax-exempt bonds using blockchain technology, taking the first step in what those involved in the transaction say could be a transformation of the municipal bond market. “The city of Quincy has invested in its innovation economy over the past number of years

The recent slew of prepaid energy bond issues in the Southeast continues to revive interest in the sector as demand remains strong for the tax-exempt paper. In a prepaid natural gas deal, public utilities secure a long-term supply of natural gas at a discounted rate. A conduit issuer, typically a special-purpose entity, sells these bonds.

The California Supreme Court has granted review of a case challenging retirement reforms state lawmakers approved 11 years ago, marking a return of pension spiking questions to the high court for the first time since a 2020 ruling on an Alameda County case. The new case — Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association v. Criminal Justice

Municipals were slightly weaker in secondary trading Wednesday as the Los Angeles Unified School District’s nearly $3 billion pricing for institutions took focus. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended mixed. Munis started the second quarter in “excellent shape,” as credit spreads are in fair value range, and muni-UST ratios start to cheapen, said GW&K

The push to allow tax-exempt bonds for spaceport infrastructure received renewed attention last week at a House subcommittee roundtable on the U.S. space race with China. “If you’re asking a private company that launches rockets to space, if you’re asking them to build the spaceport, it’s like asking American Airlines to build the airport,” Jim

The U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature complained about the governor’s lack of consultation before he declared a state of emergency to pay off Water and Power Authority debts. The legislature gathered Tuesday to express its concerns about Gov. Albert Bryan’s Monday action, which used the emergency declaration to authorize spending the government’s rainy-day funds for WAPA