Bonds

Municipals were little changed Tuesday as investors await a surge of new issuance to hit the market Wednesday and Thursday. U.S. Treasuries rallied out long and equities ended down. Two weeks into the fourth quarter of the year, munis are posting negative returns in October, down 0.56%, bringing year-to-date returns down to 1.72%, said Jason

After outperforming the larger weakness in U.S. Treasuries over the past week, municipals played some catch up Friday seeing pressure across the curve ahead of holiday-shortened, but still heavy supply week. Triple-A yields rose two to five basis points while Treasuries were stronger 10-years and in, to close out a week of more mixed economic

James McIntire, who served two terms as Washington state treasurer, died in August. He was 71. The cause was an aggressive and rare form of prostate cancer, his wife, Christina Koons, told the Seattle Times. An economics student and later professor at the University of Washington, McIntire’s first step into government service was as a

Investor demand for bond insurance remained strong during the first three quarters of 2024 as the amount of debt wrapped by bond insurance rose 26.8% year-over-year. Municipal bond insurers wrapped $28.921 billion in the first three quarters 2024, an increase from the $22.814 billion insured in the first three quarters of 2023, according to LSEG

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Remembered for his positive and cheerful attitude and willingness to pitch in wherever needed, retired Bond Buyer reporter and municipal market fixture Harold “Chip” Walter George Barnett, Jr. died on Monday. He was 67. Barnett suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, “a disease related

Municipals were little changed Thursday as U.S. Treasuries were weaker out long and equities were off after a hotter-than-expected inflation report. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 61%, the three-year at 61%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 67% and the 30-year at 84%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST

The Equitable School Revolving Fund LLC., a first-of-its-kind loan pool for charter schools, will hit the market next week with $300 million of A-rated social bonds. The deal, set to price Wednesday, marks the sixth borrowing for the fund, said Equitable Facilities Fund CEO and founder Anand Kesavan. Its most recent deal came last November

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund remains in “very good position” after Hurricane Milton, according to the head of Florida’s Division of Bond Finance. But, Ben Watkins on Thursday noted that only modeled losses are available for Hurricane Helene, which hit in late September, and no figures have been advanced for Milton yet. The CAT fund

Cook County, Illinois, officials released a $9.89 billion executive budget recommendation Thursday, after saying in a press briefing Wednesday that the nation’s second-most populous county will see no new taxes or layoffs. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said 56 open positions are being cut. The eliminated positions were ones the county anticipated filling with

Muni advocates are gearing up for a contentious tax fight next year, particularly if Kamala Harris should prevail in the presidential election, as Congressional Republicans are already digging in with a nationwide tour preemptively attacking the tax policies of the current Vice President. On Tuesday, Rep. Jason Smith R- Mo., Chairman of the House Ways

Third quarter trade count this year has remained steadily above the one million mark, a trend that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board said could be a fundamental change in the market after a few less than consistent years. Trade counts increased 13% compared to the third quarter of 2023 and year-to-date average daily trade count

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board and the bondholders opposed to the proposed plan of adjustment remain far apart, according to disclosures on the EMMA web site Tuesday night. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain earlier this week extended the bankruptcy stay and set a Dec. 11 omnibus hearing to hear the opposing bond parties’

Labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and affordable housing rank as the primary challenges facing public entities, according to respondents to HilltopSecurities’ 2024 Public Entity Survey. The survey, conducted between May and August, contains responses from more than 1,200 public sector employees and municipal market participants. Of those taking the survey, employees of cities, counties, and school

Municipals were weaker Tuesday with the largest losses out long while U.S. Treasuries saw narrow gains on the day and equities ended up. Triple-A yields rose by up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs saw yields flat or lower by a basis point or two. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has named Elena M. Gallo as its new head of government banking, where she will oversee the bank’s commercial banking division that serves more than 3,000 government agencies, public utilities, transportation, and housing authorities across 43 states and the District of Columbia. Gallo will replace Mara Holley, who is retiring after

Investors will have a chance to buy New York City’s third-ever social-labeled general obligation bonds this week. Comptroller Brad Lander said he has high hopes for the taxable $1.5 billion deal despite the awkwardness of Mayor Eric Adams’ recent federal criminal indictment on bribery charges.  “[The credit rating agencies] have reported they believe the city’s

Texas Capital is expanding its public finance team with the addition of five industry professionals, the Dallas-based financial services firm announced Friday. The public finance business was launched in May with the hiring of Steve Genyk, a former public finance head at UBS, as a managing director. The move came as the ranks of underwriters

U.S. Treasuries sold off Friday after payrolls came in much hotter than expected, leading economists and traders to pare back rate cut expectations. The municipal market could not ignore the moves and triple-A yields rose, but outperformed taxables to a large extent, pushing ratios lower. Equities rallied on the news, pushing the Dow to close

Dennis J. Enright, founding principal of NW Financial Group and NW Capital Markets, has died, the New Jersey-based firm announced Thursday. He was 76. Enright’s career spanned a half-century, and he was a pioneer in many now-common financing strategies.  “He was a premier banker, always innovating and searching for client solutions that would save money,”

Taxpayers shoulder a heavy burden for sports stadium subsidies, the Tax Foundation said this week. Reams of research shows that using bonds to finance sports stadiums and arenas do not generate enough revenue to justify the costs, the foundation said in a blog post Thursday. “According to the academic research, the tangible economic benefits job