Bonds

Municipals sat tight again Wednesday as broader markets digested the Federal Open Market Committee leaving interest rates unchanged and noting the tapering process may begin sooner. The news was largely expected and U.S. Treasuries ended the day a touch firmer while equities made up for lost ground though pared back earlier gains. “The biggest news

The House today is poised to approve a stopgap funding bill that would suspend the debt ceiling, one of several legislative showdowns that include major infrastructure and spending bills and collectively have major municipal market implications. “You have the most complex legislative maneuvering I’ve ever seen in my decades of experience, in which the infrastructure

S&P Global Ratings has singled out states’ underfunding of retiree medical benefits as a key credit risk for states. States continued to sharply underfund their OPEB plans and unfunded liabilities ticked upward in fiscal 2020, S&P analysts reported in their annual survey published Monday. During the economic expansion preceding the pandemic, few states pursued and

Morgan Fahy has joined Build America Mutual’s capital markets team as a vice president. In Fahy’s role, she will focus on secondary-market insurance transactions to build demand for BAM-insured bonds from institutional investors, according to the firm. “The way investors use insurance today is not the same way they used it two years ago. I

Municipals largely ignored the rally in U.S. Treasuries and a massive selloff in equities as participants await another large new-issue week. Without the primary in play and a mostly muted secondary, triple-A benchmark yield curves were little changed, coming nowhere near the moves in Treasuries as the 10- and 30-year UST fell five and six

The House will vote next week on raising the nation’s $28 trillion debt ceiling, but a political standoff between Democrats and Republicans still threatens to send the U.S. into a payments default next month. The Treasury Department has warned that without congressional action, the government could default sometime during October. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch

Tax law changes and bond provisions included in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package being debated in Washington likely will shift the demand components for and the makeup of the muni market in dramatic ways in the coming decade. The market is closely watching Washington to see whether the proposed tax law changes — higher rates

Rebounding casino and new online gambling tax revenues will give Detroit’s general fund a boost this year and in the coming ones as it tackles looming pension contribution pressures. The city’s estimating conference revised general fund projections for the fiscal 2022 which began July 1 to $1.1 billion from $995 million thanks mostly to $66

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board reiterated its position on pension cuts in the Plan of Adjustment Friday, the biggest source of tension it has with the local government, but was unclear on how willing it was to accommodate the government’s demands. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and many of the legislators have called for zero

Municipals were a touch softer Friday as U.S. Treasuries rose and equities sold off as global concerns over China and COVID were heightened and participants prepared for the FOMC meeting and potential for tapering next week. Triple-A benchmark yields rose a basis point beginning in 2028 while UST were off another three to four on

The Louisiana State Bond Commission this week approved the sale of $50 million in revenue bonds to help the Calcasieu Parish School Board resume work on those schools damaged last year by two hurricanes. Construction has been halted because of delays in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “A year after two devastating hurricanes,

The Securities and Exchange Commission has settled with Sweetwater Union High School District in San Diego County, California, as well as its former chief financial officer Karen Michel for misleading investors in connection with an issuance of $28 million of municipal bonds. The Commission charged Michel with violating Section 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of

Puerto Rico’s local government revoked a law the Oversight Board has been considering using to issue restructured bonds without the local government’s support. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi signed Project 959 on Thursday, revoking the 1942 law, which had been used over the years to justify bond refundings. The board has argued it could legally

Municipals were little changed on light trading in the secondary again Wednesday as Illinois and Texas priced bonds in the primary and the Investment Company Institute reported another round of billion-dollar-plus inflows. The Investment Company Institute reported $1.325 billion of inflows for the week ending Sept. 8, following $1.804 billion of inflows the prior week,

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tapped San Antonio, Texas, school superintendent Pedro Martinez — a former Chicago Public Schools fiscal chief — to lead the district as fiscal and governance change looms. Lightfoot introduced Martinez as the new chief executive officer at a news conference Wednesday. Martinez is the first Latino to hold the CEO position

The government of Guam has settled on a $937 million budget for fiscal 2022, which starts Oct. 1. Gov. Lourdes “Lou” Guerrero on Saturday said she would let the budget go into effect without her signature. The legislature transmitted the budget to her on Aug. 31. The budget includes $623.6 million of total General Fund

The municipal primary was the focus Tuesday with large deals repricing to lower yields while the secondary market took a backseat with benchmark curves little changed even as U.S. Treasuries rallied and stocks sold off. Triple-A benchmarks saw a basis point bump in spots while U.S. Treasury yields fell five basis points on the 10-

On the heels of Minnesota’s recent $876 million deal, the state’s public university system heads into the market this week with a deal that offers investors a range of paper to pick from, including a sustainability-certified bond. The Regents of the University of Minnesota will bring a $127 million refunding on Tuesday and follow with

Municipals were little changed ahead of a $10 billion-plus new-issue week as California offered $2 billion of general obligation bonds to retail investors and the market considered the municipal bond provisions offered from Washington. Triple-A benchmarks reported steady levels while U.S. Treasuries improved and equities also improved. “The municipal market is relatively unchanged and not

California will come to market Tuesday with $2.1 billion in general obligation bonds, coincidentally on Election Day for the ballot question asking if the state’s voters want to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. CreditSights, an independent investor research firm, affirmed a market perform rating on California’s GOs ahead of the deal, but raised concerns