Bonds

Municipals were mostly steady to a touch firmer Thursday amid a quiet secondary and few deals pricing in the primary while another $2 billion-plus flowed out of municipal bond mutual funds. U.S. Treasuries saw more losses and equities ended in the red ahead of Friday’s much-anticipated jobs report. Municipal to UST ratios fell on the

Chief Economist Dr. Lindsey Piegza will look at the current state of the economy amid the ongoing pandemic and what it means going forward for overall growth, interest rates and monetary policy. She will cover macro-economic trends in consumer spending and investment, in addition to new monetary and fiscal policy initiatives and the potential economic

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said he favors lifting interest rates to between 4% and 4.5% by the end of this year, and then keeping the tightening in place to reduce inflation that remains near a four-decade high. “I would like to reach a point where policy is moderately restrictive — between

Municipal yields fell Tuesday by as much as 10 basis points out long while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities rallied. Triple-A yields fell four to 10 basis points across the curve amid robust secondary trading with high-grade names showing clear moves to lower yields. New York City priced $1.35 billion of exempt and

The fate of a planned 16-million-square-foot Georgia factory for electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is in question after a judge denied validation of $15 billion in PILOT bonds planned to back its construction. The Georgia Economic Development Commission, along with the Joint Development Authority for Jasper, Morgan, Newton, and Walton counties and Rivian, negotiated an agreement

The first green municipal bond was issued nearly a decade ago, but the public finance industry — and California in particular — have been working to take it to the next level. California’s Green Bond Market Development Committee plans to produce recommendations next year on both best practices for issuing green bonds and a method

Municipals made gains Monday, underperforming a stronger U.S. Treasury market, but taking advantage of the positive tone of all markets as equities also rallied to open the fourth quarter. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped one to six basis points, depending on the scale, while U.S. Treasury yields fell 16 to 19 basis points 10 years and

Cities and Counties have had to question long-term revenue forecasts that were based on fundamentals that may no longer be present in their post-COVID economies. This uncertainty is particularly unsettling as COVID relief funds are spent down. Issuers, their advisors, and sector professionals will discuss their view of these challenges amidst those of the broader

California water and wastewater issuers count among their challenges the recurrence of drought, fundamental modification to the usage rates and patterns of enterprise services post pandemic, and significant capital requirements from a regulatory and reinvestment perspective. Issuers and other sector experts will explore the unique risks facing water and wastewater agencies and how they are

Citing sustained progress on pension funding and debt reduction, Moody’s Investors Service Friday lifted its rating outlook on New Jersey to positive from stable, while affirming its issuer and general obligation bond ratings at A2. “The positive outlook is supported by the likelihood the state will continue its current practices for managing reserves and long-term

Municipals were little changed Friday to close out a month that saw triple-A yields rise more than three-quarters of a point on the front end, $7.6 billion flow out of mutual funds and issuance fall by 43%. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended in the red after a month of central bank rate hikes,

Baby bond programs aren’t a panacea for generational inequality, but remain a promising tool to chip away at such problems, experts said at an event this week in New York. Tuesday’s event at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “Exploring Baby Bonds as a Tool to Improve Economic Security,” was organized in conjunction with

Municipals were slightly weaker in spots Thursday while a more robust primary market provided distraction again as the New York Urban Development Corp. sold $1.4 billion in the competitive market. U.S. Treasuries were weaker 10 years and in, and equities sold off. Outflows from municipal bond mutual funds intensified as investors pulled $3.601 billion out

Illinois’ $700 million general obligation issue drew healthy interest from bidders but the state saw spreads widen as rising marketwide interest rates trumped the state’s fiscal and credit progress. The competitive deal came in three series, each bid separately, with a taxable series for $175 million maturing in 2029 won by BofA Securities from among

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain said she would approve a three-pronged approach to advancing the more than five-year-old Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy with a plan confirmation due by June 2023. Swain said there should be litigation on two key issues, the development of a plan of adjustment with several versions, and

Meredith Hathorn will be taking over for Patrick Brett as chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Oct. 1, bringing her nearly forty years of public finance experience to the role. “What I really want to do is highlight the value of being an SRO (self-regulatory organization), and continuing to earn the public trust,” said

Under the oversight of a state review board, the troubled finances of West Haven, Connecticut, are moving in the right direction, according to Moody’s Investors Service, which last week affirmed the city’s Baa3 general obligation bond rating after a two-month review. Financial mismanagement and federal corruption charges have dogged the New Haven suburb, which is

A federal judge last week struck down Rhode Island’s first-of-its-kind trucks-only tolling program, notching a win for the interstate transportation industry that had sued the state over the law. The state has 30 days to appeal.   Opponents said the Sept. 21 ruling will send a message to other states considering similar tolling programs to

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been bouncing around the country making appearances fueling further talk of a presidential run, has signed hundreds of bills ahead of Thursday’s deadline to sign or veto bills the Legislature sent him. The final bill signings also serve as a demarcation of sorts for when the governor moves from

Patrick Brett’s tenure as chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has been marked by his embrace of technology, highlighted in the launch of EMMA Labs and an updated MSRB.org in addition to a handful of new rule proposals, including the controversial request for information on environmental social and governance considerations. All of that was