Bonds

PFM Financial Advisors has begun using the Bloomberg BVAL AAA Municipal Curve as its primary market yield curve in a shift from using the Refinitiv MMD AAA curve. The Philadelphia-based muni financial advisory firm, the largest in the industry, has used BVAL for several years, but once the full interpolated curve and the intraday hourly

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board called Friday for dismissal of a Puerto Electric Power Authority bond party suit against Puerto Rico’s central government that had the backing of the PREPA Ad Hoc Group, a separate group of bond parties. GoldenTree Asset Management and bond insurer Syncora Guarantee filed the suit in U.S. District Court for

Brace for an unpredictable year in community finance, where a confluence of global turmoil, mandatory tech advancements, legislative implementation, and potential political upheaval all collide with an already fragile insurance market. While the presidential election may be a noisy stalemate, this chaos presents a hidden opportunity for agents of change to make real progress. Think private

Connecticut is set to price $840 million of general obligation bonds next week, the state’s last issuance of a year with landmark fiscal policy decisions. The state, which renewed fiscal responsibility measures, lowered income taxes and maintained strong economic metrics, kept its solid ratings from all four agencies for the upcoming deal.  “Management in Connecticut,

A proposed deal for a massive mixed-used arena project in Alexandria, Virginia, would be mostly financed through $1.05 billion in project revenue bonds issued by the newly named Virginia Stadium Authority. Details and hardening local opposition are emerging regarding the development of a 12-acre site in Potomac Yard, a former rail hub that straddles Arlington

A tough year for Wall Street municipal underwriting firms culminated Thursday with Citigroup’s announcement it would exit the business, a stunning move that market participants warned would raise state and city financing costs and that Citi would come to regret as headwinds calm and business rebounds. “It’s a major disappointment,” said Matt Fabian, a partner

S&P Global Ratings revised California’s rating outlook to stable from positive Friday, citing the state’s projected $68 billion multi-year deficit, revenue uncertainties and economic conditions. The state holds ratings of AA-minus from S&P, AA from Fitch Ratings and Aa2 from Moody’s Investors Service. The state also has a stable outlook from Fitch. Moody’s revised the

Municipals closed out the week firmer, boosted by Fed policy decisions and yearend positioning ahead of a fading new-issue calendar, while U.S. Treasuries traded in a narrow range all session and equities ended mixed. Triple-A yields fell up to five basis points Friday while USTs were mixed. Munis still underperformed taxables on the week, but

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bond parties presented the court with written expert testimony supporting their claim the Oversight Board’s proposed plan of adjustment assumptions underestimate Puerto Rico’s economic future and overestimate PREPA’s future expenses. The testimony could impact U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s ruling on the plan, according to an attorney not

Citigroup will close its municipal division by the end of the first quarter of 2024, leaving behind a historic tenure in a market it once dominated in both underwriting and secondary market-making. The firm decided to “wind down our municipal underwriting and market-making activities” after a “broad-based review” of its muni business, according to a

Federal highway officials Wednesday defended the seemingly slow rollout of a high-profile federally funded program to create a national network of electric vehicle chargers. Ohio last week opened what is so far the nation’s first — and only — electric vehicle charging station funded through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. New York is

Triple-A municipal bond yields fell a few basis points Wednesday following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold rates and signal that only three rate cuts were likely in 2024, which sent U.S. Treasury yields plummeting down more than a quarter point on the short end while equities rallied and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bond parties argued in appeals court briefs that their trust agreement clearly gives them a lien on incoming revenues and supports their claim for the $8.5 billion pre-bankruptcy principal rather than the $2.4 billion set by a lower court judge. The parties argued about the language needed to establish a

Municipals were mostly steady to a touch softer in secondary trading while newly upgraded gilt-edged Ohio upsized its general obligation refunding deal and repriced to lower yields. U.S. Treasuries improved on the day following cooler inflation data that many participants said would not move the needle on the Federal Reserve’s rates decision Wednesday. Triple-A yields

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Transcription:Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio for the authoritative record. Keeley Webster (00:04):Hello, I am Keeley Webster. Welcome to another Bond Buyer podcast. The Governors of

Bondholders and other parties involved in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy returned to court Friday in an effort to move the needle on their opposing cases seeking better repayment terms. Bond parties defended their adversary complaint against Puerto Rico’s central government’s actions regarding PREPA since the central government emerged from bankruptcy in March

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ and Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo have joined Israel Bonds’ new Government, Industry and Financial Services Leadership Board. “If Hamas stopped fighting today, there would be no more war. If Israel stops fighting, there will be

Alan Appelbaum, former managing director and head of Aegis Capital Corp.’s municipal bond desk, has agreed to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he disregarded his obligations as a broker-dealer and violated antifraud provisions in his recommendation of certain variable interest rate structured products to seven investors. Without admitting or denying the findings, Applebaum,

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will need to close a $68 billion shortfall as he wraps up work on the proposed budget for fiscal 2024 that he will present to lawmakers in January. The upshot is that the flooding and massive storms that hit California in early 2023 and pushed income tax filings in the state

Moody’s Investors Service raised its outlook on U.S. nonprofit higher education sector to stable from negative on Thursday, citing expected narrowing gaps between expense and revenue growth. Also on Thursday, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its “bifurcated” outlook for the sector, which includes a negative outlook for less selective, more regional institutions without financial flexibility and

Municipals were steady Friday, ignoring weakness in the U.S. Treasury market after the jobs report came in hotter-than-expected. Equities ended up. The November payroll report “was stronger than Wall Street was expecting, and we are already seeing significant upward pressure on Treasury yields,” said Scott Anderson, chief U.S. economist and managing director at BMO Economics.

Ohio for the first time can boast of a trifecta of triple-A ratings after S&P Global Ratings on Friday gave top marks to the state’s issuer and general obligation ratings. “The upgrades reflect our view of Ohio’s demonstrated commitment to active budget management and building and maintaining reserves through economic cycles,” said S&P analyst Rob

The U.S. Treasury Department would be authorized to float up to $1 billion of bonds exempt from state and local taxes to fund climate resiliency projects under a measure introduced Wednesday by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The bill would allow Treasury to issue “climate bonds” for purchase by “any American” to finance projects undertaken by

Municipals were slightly firmer Thursday as the last of the week’s large new-issues came and went while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended up ahead of Friday’s much-anticipated jobs report. Triple-A yields fell one to three basis points while USTs yields were relatively flat, only a basis point down out long. Relative value

BNP Paribas Securities Corp. officially opened its Miami office on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by bank officials and local government dignitaries. “Adding Miami as a key location for our corporate and institutional banking business will be an important part in getting closer to our many clients in the South Florida area and

Municipals were firmer Wednesday while a busy primary market saw Pennsylvania sell $2.1 billion of general obligation bonds competitively and the New York City Transitional Finance Authority repriced its $1.3 billion of revenue bonds in the negotiated market with yields lowered by up to 12 basis points from Tuesday’s retail offering. Treasuries were firmer five

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is seeking applications to fill three positions, two public representatives and one regulated representative, for its board of directors for the 2025 fiscal year. The application window will be open from Jan. 2 until Feb. 9 and can be submitted through the MSRB’s Board of Directors Application Portal. “Ensuring the

The city of Chicago and its Sales Tax Securitization Corporation won The Bond Buyer’s 22nd annual Deal of the Year award for its $1.7 billion financing that addressed initiatives related to affordable housing, homelessness support services, environmental justice, and community development. The issuance, which was the Deal of the Year in the Midwest category, included

Two years into a public-private partnership to rebuild and take over the New York State Thruway Authority’s service areas, the project is 225 days behind schedule, a delay that has led to a technical default and prompted Fitch Ratings to revise its outlook to negative from stable. AECOM Tishman, the design-build contractor who is responsible

Municipals were little changed Monday, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended down. November was a “positive month” for munis as triple-A yields fell on an average of 89 basis points, bringing month-to-date returns of 6.35% and pushing year-to-date returns to 3.98% through the end of the month, Jason Wong, vice president of municipals