Bonds

Louis English joined Janney Montgomery Scott as managing director and head of municipal sales within the fixed-income division. He will be based out of the firm’s Chicago office. English comes to Janney from Baird, where he worked as a producing sales manager. He also worked as a municipal salesperson at Mesirow, Loop Capital Markets and

Transit agencies across the country are being forced to deal with new trends in ridership, new travel patterns, and dwindling federal funds from pandemic- related relief that make the next few years crucial for bringing our nation’s transit system into the new world. That was the takeaway from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing

Fitch Ratings upgraded San Diego County’s pension obligation bonds to AAA and affirmed a stable outlook during a review ahead of the county’s plans to price a $31.5 million certificates of participation refunding. Fitch upgraded $211 million outstanding POBs to AAA from AA-plus, matching the agency’s issuer rating for the county. It also affirmed the

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said she still sees inflation risks as tilted to the upside despite welcome news in the latest data. Mester, speaking in print and television interviews Friday at Bloomberg’s New York office, also said the median projection of policymakers’ latest forecasts — which signaled just one interest-rate cut

Municipals were firmer ahead of an uptick in issuance next week, while U.S. Treasury yields fell slightly and equities ended mixed. USTs extended their rally this week after receiving support from “softer” economic data as yields fell 18 to 24 basis points on the week and a total of 20 to 30 basis points month-to-date,

When Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced he’d be pursuing a Major League Soccer team for his city, it appeared to throw Indianapolis’ previous plans for a new stadium development — spearheaded by the owner of the city’s United Soccer League team, the Indy Eleven, Ersal Ozdemir — into doubt.  But city officials subsequently revealed that

The public finance community hailed Wednesday’s First Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bondholders had a lien on net revenues. Observers say the decision sends a message that the municipal revenue bond pledge is strong, the Oversight Board’s plan of adjustment for PREPA as it currently is proposed is unlikely

The country’s largest public pension fund came under fire Wednesday from House Republicans, who accused the fund of being part of a “climate cartel” that illegally colludes with other investors to try to force companies to reduce their carbon footprint. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System was one of four witnesses called by the Republican

The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals almost entirely overturned a lower court’s reasoning that underlay an Oversight Board proposed Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority plan of adjustment, in what appears to be a major bondholder victory. On Wednesday afternoon, a panel of appeals court judges ruled unanimously that PREPA bondholders had a perfected lien

In another sign of the sector’s recovery, airports are set to flock to the muni market this year as issuers can no longer postpone long-delayed projects and necessary infrastructure maintenance. Airport issuance got off to a slow start this year with only $3.5 billion priced through the end of May, according to Ramirez’s May airport

Municipals were steady Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting and Consumer Price Index report, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities were mixed near the close. “The market’s great expectations regarding Fed cuts have witnessed a dramatic downward adjustment since the start of the year,” said Vikram Rai, head of municipal markets

With the Federal Open Market Committee unlikely to change the fed funds rate target at this week’s meeting, the markets will concentrate on the Summary of Economic Projections and whether it shows expectations reduced to one or two 25 basis point rate cuts this year from the three suggested by the previous dot plot. “Three

Municipals were little changed Monday as investors await a smaller calendar amid an FOMC week, outperforming Treasuries, which saw small losses, while equities were up near the close. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 65%, the three-year at 65%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 65% and the 30-year at 82%, according to

S&P Global Ratings upgraded the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority’s senior-lien airports facilities bonds to AA from AA-minus with a stable outlook Friday, citing Orlando International Airport’s growing enplanement counts. “The upgrade reflects Orlando International Airport’s very high activity levels and long history of favorable enplanement trends supported by serving an expanding service area economy with

Struggling Pennsylvania hospital chain Tower Health plans to exchange current debt and raise additional funds as it pursues a turnaround.  The system, trustee and bondholders of about $992 million in debt are supporting an exchange of “substantially all” existing bonds, according to a May 31 agreement that Tower Health disclosed in a filing Monday on

The University of Arizona expects more strain on its cash flow in the coming fiscal year as it offered a peek at underlying assumptions for its next budget. In a presentation to a Arizona Board of Regents committee on Thursday, the university’s preliminary forecast of days cash on hand for fiscal 2025 showed it slipping

A public private partnership to fund upgrades and the greening of the central heating and cooling system at the University of Maryland’s main College Park campus is slated to arrive next week in the primary market. Conduit issuer Maryland Economic Development Corp. is set to price $345.5 million of green revenue bonds for the NextGen

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on has signed Illinois’ $53.1 billion fiscal year 2025 budget, which includes $198 million for the state’s rainy day fund and $182 million for the migrant crisis as well as creating a Department of Early Childhood and an innovation center at the University of Illinois-Springfield and funding the new state-based insurance marketplace.

Municipals saw losses but outperformed a U.S. Treasury selloff sparked by better-than-expected jobs data while a much smaller primary slate awaits investors ahead of the June Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The non-farm payrolls data further raises concerns over the timing of the Central Bank’s rate cutting schedule. “This blockbuster NFP makes it harder for

The shortage of qualified accountants has affected nearly every organization in both the public and private sector. And it’s definitely not helping a public finance sector that has long struggled to supply audited financial information in a timely manner. “In terms of audit findings, we haven’t seen an uptick in incorrect audits, though we will

Municipals were firmer Thursday as the primary market slowed and muni mutual fund inflows returned. U.S. Treasury yields were little changed and equities ended mixed. Triple-A yields fell another three to eight basis points, depending on the scale. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 67%, the three-year at 67%, the five-year at 69%, the

Kentucky officials are still struggling with how to handle a troubled internet network project nine years after bonds to fund it were sold. Analysts say the KentuckyWired project has lessons on how public-private partnerships should be structured. The political wrangling in-state stands in contrast to rating agencies, who since September have issued the bonds an

Municipals were firmer Wednesday amid another heavy new-issue calendar, led by several large deals that saw yields lowered upon repricing. U.S. Treasuries yields fell further and equities ended up. Issuance remains robust Wednesday with an estimated $5.9 billion, said J.P. Morgan strategists, led by Peter DeGroot. The negotiated calendar was led by $830 million from

Municipals were firmer Tuesday amid a busy primary market with several large deals, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 68%, the three-year at 69%, the five-year at 71%, the 10-year at 70% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m.

A surprise primary result means Puerto Rico will have a new governor next year. Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón upset Gov. Pedro Pierluisi in the race for the New Progressive Party nomination for governor. The New Progressive Party supports statehood for Puerto Rico. As resident commissioner González Colón represents, without being able to

A 2017 constitutional challenge to Arizona’s system for funding public school facilities that spotlights districts’ unequal access to local property taxes and bond issuance finally went to trial last week.  The case, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court by school districts and others against state School Facilities Board officials, contends the funding system violates the

The backers of a tax measure to shore up funding for ailing San Francisco regional transit providers, notably the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, pulled it amid opposition on several fronts. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, who authored Senate Bill 1031, had promised further amendments as it moved to the

The major sticking points between what California lawmakers want and cuts proposed in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revisions are starting to arise with just over two weeks to go before lawmakers’ June 15 deadline to submit a budget to the governor. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, D-Sonoma

Issuance surged in May as Fed policy uncertainty, pent-up capital needs and mega deals helped volume top $40 billion for the month, the first time since 2016. May’s volume stood at $43.957 billion in 866 issues, up 46.9% from $29.919 billion in 802 issues in 2023. This is above the 10-year average of $35.896 billion.

Houston Independent School District officials unveiled a massive $4.4 billion bond proposal for the November ballot that would address aging facilities, update technology, and improve security without increasing taxes. The plan, presented to the district’s Community Advisory Committee on Thursday, will be heading soon to the school board for a final vote on holding a