Bonds

Hawaii lawmakers grilled the budget director Thursday as recovery costs for the Maui wildfire are coming in double expectations, putting the budget at risk. During a hearing before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Budget Director Luis Salaveria was asked when Gov. Josh Green’s administration realized costs to temporarily house people displaced by the fire

On Thursday the Internal Revenue Service provided updated guidance on how utility companies are allowed to use securitization to recover costs through rate increases to customers.   The new regulations are denoted by the IRS as Rev. Proc. 2024-15 which updates Rev. Proc. 2005-62. The ruling expands the definition of public utility companies to include publicly owned power

Congress is expected to begin voting next week on the first set of fiscal 2024 budget bills – five months into the fiscal year – after the parties reached another short-term deal to avert a government shutdown Friday. The two chambers on Thursday passed a stopgap bill that extends the deadline for four spending bills,

Global exports from Kentucky rose 16.6% year-over-year to a record high of $40.2 billion in 2023, as more products made in the Bluegrass State were shipped around the world. Aerospace products and parts led the state’s exports by category in 2023, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division and WISERTrade.

Municipal bond mutual funds saw small inflows, the secondary market showed constructive trading with firmer prints in spots and the asset class is likely to see slightly positive returns for the month. Equities ended in the black, with the Nasdaq leading the rally. Triple-A yields were bumped a basis point or two, depending on the

West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore warned six more financial institutions that they may be placed on the state’s “Restricted Financial Institution List” if they are found to be “boycotting” the fossil fuels industry. The blacklist is authorized in a 2022 state law spearheaded by Moore authorizing the State Treasury to restrict financial institutions that

Puerto Rico leaders and analysts highlighted fiscal risks facing Puerto Rico’s central government, including a change in how multinationals are taxed, that could, if unresolved, jeopardize future bond payments. At the Puerto Rico Oversight Board meeting Wednesday, board Executive Director Robert Mujica Jr. said the government faced major risks in the coming fiscal years, including

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Tuesday unveiled a $55.9 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2025 that would impose a new Corporate Transit Fee on the state’s largest and wealthiest corporations to create a “new, dedicated, and permanent funding stream” for NJ Transit. The fee, which would affect about 600 companies with net taxable income greater

Municipals were steady in secondary trading Tuesday as several large deals in the primary market took focus, including the retail pricing for the $1.5 billion-plus deal of general obligation bonds from New York City. U.S. Treasury yields rose 10 years and out and equities were mixed near the end of the trading session. Other large

Changes in leadership at the U.S. Treasury haven’t changed the fact that the Office of Tax Policy is still missing a go-to expert with a deep background in tax-exempt bonds, leaving lawyers and other stakeholders to adjust and with some worries it could eventually be a problem. The OTP is responsible for developing and implementing

Municipals were steady to start the week as investors await the larger new-issue slate, outperforming U.S. Treasuries, while equities were mixed near the close. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 58%, the three-year at 57%, the five-year at 56%, the 10-year at 57% and the 30-year at 81%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s

Municipal bond issuers in the Northeast sold $89.3 billion of debt in 2023, a 14% year-over-year drop that drove the national market into negative territory. Muni issuance in the region’s 11 states, two territories and the District of Columbia came in more than $14 billion below 2022 numbers, according to data from LSEG, formerly Refinitiv,

The story stays the same and that is munis remain rich but an uptick in supply will bring some pressure to the asset class. The steadiness of the muni market, despite the swings in USTs, shows both the trepidation of investor commitment at these levels and the underlying strength of the credit quality of the

Not-for-profit healthcare finances should improve this year, rating agencies said, and many healthcare issuers plan to test the bond market. The sector reached a “turning point” in calendar year 2023, Fitch Ratings said in a report released Wednesday. The latest perspective offers a shift from challenges and expectations analysts predicted as recently as January. Analysts

Louisiana is set to float $1.34 billion of private activity bonds in April as part of its largest public-private partnership to date, which will replace an aging bridge over Interstate 10 near St. Charles. The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority released details of the financing after the State Bond Commission last week signed off on the

Alabama airports would be able to enter into public-private partnerships under a bill that advanced through the state House this week. House Bill 87 passed the House Tuesday less than three weeks since it was introduced by Republican state Rep. Chip Brown. It is now pending at the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee. “Alabama is

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is partnering with other federal regulators to lessen fears regarding the implementation of the Financial Data Transparency Act. The goal of this new law, which was passed in 2022, is to provide more transparency to the financial markets by introducing machine-readable formats into the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA

Miami International Airport received $27 million from the federal government for infrastructure projects designed to improve the passenger experience at one of the nation’s busiest airports. The funding was announced at a Thursday ceremony at MIA: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava welcomed Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary, and Shannetta Griffin, the

S&P Global Ratings has revised the outlook on Chicago’s general obligation bonds to stable from positive, the rating agency announced Thursday. S&P affirmed its BBB-plus rating on the bonds. The downward revision reflects budgetary pressures that have not been counterbalanced by new revenue growth, S&P said. Specifically, S&P cited rising public safety labor costs, recent

States, municipalities and public entities in the Southeast sold fewer municipal bonds last year than they did in 2022 as the uncertainty about the direction of interest rates took its toll on new issuance during the first half of the year. Full-year volume dropped 6.8% in 2023 to $65.8 billion from the $70.5 billion sold