Bonds

“We hope to act as a resource to the industry, trying to provide some additional knowledge, research findings that can help the market,” said Martin Luby, the Center on Municipal Capital Markets’ director.University of Texas at Austin The role of capital markets in financing infrastructure is the focus of a university-based center recently launched in

Three-term incumbent Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown lost his seat in a close race Tuesday night. Former President Donald Trump appeared close to re-taking the White House late Tuesday and Republicans won a majority in the Senate while the House remained too close to call. Republicans late Tuesday appeared to take control of the Senate after

The NIU campus. The university’s new debt will finance energy efficiency projects affecting roughly half of campus buildings.Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University will issue $62 million of Series 2024 certificates of participation to finance energy-saving projects affecting roughly 50 buildings, or half of all campus infrastructure. It does so after Moody’s Ratings on Oct.

Hollywood High School is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is asking voters to authorize $9 billion of bonds.Bloomberg News The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest in the US, is asking local voters to approve the sale of $9 billion in school construction bonds Tuesday to modernize its aging facilities

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass, would re-take the helm of powerful House Ways and Means Committee if Democrats win the House.Bloomberg News A handful of tight Senate and House elections will determine control of key Congressional committees in Tuesday’s federal election, with the outcome determining the shape of a high-stakes tax policy debate and the next

The U.S. Virgin Islands Supreme Court upheld a 2021 law reshaping the Water and Power Authority’s governing board, a ruling that may be a credit positive for the struggling authority. “Clearly this is a first step in reforming the operations at WAPA,” Muni Credit News Publisher Joseph Krist said last year after an earlier Superior

Former director of the Office of State and Local Finance at US Treasury Kent Hiteshew, left, and David Dubrow, a partner at ArentFox Schiff, penned a pair of pieces arguing for direct SEC oversight of issuer disclosure. After decades of what investors see as inadequate disclosure from cities, towns and states, it’s time to consider

Fitch Ratings upgraded the District of Columbia’s ballpark revenue bonds Series 2006A and 2006B to AA from AA-minus, a development that Washington officials believe highlights the strong current and future position of the unique city. “This Fitch upgrade reflects our financial stability and the strong economic prospects of the district,” said Chief Financial Officer Glen

Fitch Ratings Director Tammy Gamerman said the long-term increase in frequency and intensity of hurricanes could hinder Florida’s economic growth. Hurricane Milton caused more damage that will require reimbursement from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund than Hurricane Helene did, and Moody’s Ratings believes the state may need to sell bonds to replenish the fund in

<img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20096840/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were little changed Friday ahead of a week of virtually no supply as all eyes turn to the election and macroeconomic policy. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended up after a weaker-than-expected jobs report. The employment report underwhelmed, with just 12,000 jobs added in October, but observers

The town council in Payson, Arizona, rescinded its Aug. 21 approval of $70 million of tax-exempt bonds in the wake of ongoing litigation and opposition to the debt sale from incoming council members.AdobeStock An Arizona town terminated a plan to sell $70 million of bonds despite prevailing in a lawsuit that claimed the debt’s approval

Munis were little changed in the last session of the month and few deals of size priced, while muni mutual funds saw inflows overall but high-yield saw the first outflows since mid-April. U.S. Treasuries were mixed and equities saw losses. “The final session of October concludes what has been an upwardly trending curve all month

Nora Wittstruck is chief analytical officer for governments at S&P Global Ratings.Bear Gutierrez/Bear Gutierrez Nora Wittstruck is the new chief analytical officer for governments at S&P Global Ratings. Wittstruck takes over from Robin Prunty, who retired in August.  “One of the challenges of whomever would have taken this role is filling her shoes. She is

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. Johnson on Wednesday unveiled his fiscal year 2025 budget proposal.Bloomberg News Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday proposed a $17.3 billion fiscal 2025 budget that calls for a $300 million property tax increase, a move that reverses a campaign promise but avoids

The Department of Transportation announced $2.4 billion in funding for 122 rail projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia, though concerns about the future of rail and other infrastructure funding are rising.  ”Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding rail infrastructure projects that create jobs and expand workforce development, reduce costs for consumers,

Secondary trading showed a weaker tone Tuesday but the focus shifted to the primary as a large slate of new issues along the credit spectrum were priced, while U.S. Treasuries improved and equities closed the session mixed. The primary was led by two large California issues, including the state’s competitive sale of tax-exempt and taxable

A leftist candidate for Puerto Rico’s governorship has gained momentum and closed in on the front-runner, but analysts say his election would not have a dramatic impact on the future of the island’s bonds. A poll released Monday by El Vocero, a leading Puerto Rico news outlet, showed the candidate, Jose Dalmau, polling 29% compared

Municipals were little changed Monday as the market took a breather following volatility last week and ahead of what is expected to be the last sizable new-issue slate until well after the election. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities saw gains. The two-year ratio Monday was at 64%, the three-year at 63%, the five-year at

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Hamlin Capital Advisors and its employee Michael Ferrell Braun with breaching its fiduciary duty by failing to disclose in a timely manner that an affiliate of the firm was buying the bonds the firm was issuing for the charter school clients, a material conflict of interest. Hamlin was

A California Bay Area school district that recently made waves for failing to pass a budget on time sold $352 million of general obligation bonds last week. The district entered the market with a downgrade to its underlying rating, but the deal was bolstered with a bond insurance wrap that covered most maturities. West Contra

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will be issuing a request for information on its rate card fee setting process, one of the many topics that were discussed during the MSRB’s first quarterly board meeting of FY 2025 held Oct. 23-24. The rate card request for information will be out in the next couple of weeks,

Record bond volume, a focus on climate, more floating-rate debt and broader integration of municipals into fixed-income markets is on the horizon for the public finance industry. Those are among the factors that will lead to market growth in 2025 and beyond, panelists at this week’s Bond Buyer California Public Finance conference said. The increase

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said that while progress on lowering inflation had resumed in recent months, officials aren’t yet ready to declare their mission accomplished.  “We have made good progress, but inflation is still running above the FOMC’s 2% objective,” Hammack said Thursday, referring to the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee.

Municipals improved Friday after a volatile week for the asset class, ignoring losses in U.S. Treasuries, while equities closed the week mixed. Investors will see higher yields and ratios along with a nearly $11 billion new-issue slate for the final week of the month and the last ahead of the election. Triple-A yields fell three

Tom Vales, a muni bond electronic trading expert, has joined Build America Mutual’s board as an independent director. The bond insurer has seven board members, including three independent directors. Vales will succeed John White, who is retiring, according to a press release. “Tom’s career has been about making fixed-income markets more transparent and efficient,” said Seán

Shreveport, Louisiana, was downgraded by Moody’s Ratings.Adobe Stock Shreveport, Louisiana, was downgraded to Baa2 from Baa1 Wednesday by Moody’s Ratings. The agency maintains a negative outlook on the rating. The downgrade of Shreveport’s issuer, general obligation and senior revenue ratings will affect $2.1 billion in debt when the city completes the anticipated $88 million Series

North Carolina’s largest transportation project to date may be structured as a public-private partnership after the controversial toll lanes proposal won a pair of key votes last week. The Charlotte City Council and transportation planning group Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization gave the green light to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to pursue a

Houston Controller Chris Hollins’ investor conference took place Tuesday without the  participation of key city officials after Mayor John Whitmore raised “pay-to-play” concerns about corporate sponsorships for the event and requested a city probe. Hollins countered on Tuesday, calling on the Houston inspector general’s office to also investigate corporate sponsorships for the mayor’s Sept. 17

Half Day Forest Preserve in Lake County, Illinois. Lake County Forest Preserves is asking voters to approve a $155 million bond referendum on Nov. 5.Jennifer Shea Voters in the Midwest will see a half-dozen conservation referendums on their ballots, three of them involving bonds. Such local issues have one advantage amid the polarization that has

Municipals extended their selloff with the largest losses on the short end amid another busy day in the primary market, led by an upsized JFK Airport Terminal 6 Redevelopment Project deal. U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended mixed. Triple-A yields rose three to 12 basis points, playing some catch up after recent outperformance.