Total 2023 municipal bond volume fell slightly from 2022 as market volatility, higher interest rates, pandemic aid and slower economic growth kept issuers on the sidelines. However, a robust fourth quarter buoyed issuance for the year, so volume only ticked down 2.8%, much better than previous quarters where issuance was down double digits. The year
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Medford, Oregon-based hospital nonprofit Asante Health had its A-plus rating, with negative outlook, affirmed by Fitch Ratings at year-end as it works toward completion of a new building at its flagship hospital. Fitch said in a report Tuesday that it maintained the negative outlook, first assigned in January, because “Asante continues to record weakened operational
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Equities myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Global stock markets are set to record their strongest year since 2019 following a blistering two-month rally as investors bet that major central banks have finished raising interest rates and will cut them rapidly next year.
Municipals were quietly traded and little changed in the last session of 2023 while U.S. Treasuries were mixed and equities were in the red near the close. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Friday was at 59%, the three-year at 59%, the five-year at 59%, the 10-year at 59% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv
Municipals were steady to firmer Thursday as outflows returned. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 59%, the three-year at 59%, the five-year at 59%, the 10-year at 59% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST read. ICE Data Services
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the European banks myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. European banks have received a €100bn windfall from rising interest rates over the past two years, but the long-awaited boost has failed to close a persistent valuation gap. Net interest income (NII) climbed from €270bn
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on the first day back since the Christmas holiday on December 26, 2023 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images In each of the past 16 Decembers I have selected and invested personally in 10 of the
Pending home sales in November were unchanged compared with October and 5.2% lower than November of last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The reading, which is based on signed contracts during the month, is a forward-looking indicator of closed sales as well as the most current look at what potential homebuyers are
The muni market saw a large uptick in taxable bond tenders as issuers saw an opportunity to restructure their debt portfolios to unload taxables that have been trading at deep discounts. Taxable bonds that could be replaced with tax-exempt debt “has been the main target market segment for bond tenders as late (close to 60% of total),
Municipals were steady to slightly firmer Wednesday as inflows returned to muni mutual funds. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Wednesday was at 60%, the three-year at 60%, the five-year at 60%, the 10-year at 60% and the 30-year at 87%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m.
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Nearly nine-tenths of the foreign money that flowed into China’s stock market in 2023 has already left, spurred by mounting doubts about Beijing’s willingness to take serious action to boost flagging growth. Since
The Riverside County Transportation Commission, California, won a Fitch Ratings upgrade for a $152.2 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act senior loan. Fitch lifted the rating on the TIFIA debt to BBB-plus from BBB-minus. The rating outlook is stable. The funding supports a managed lane project on Interstate 15 in a 15-mile stretch through
Municipals were steady Tuesday as the last week of the year got underway. U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 59%, the three-year at 59%, the five-year at 59%, the 10-year at 59% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m.
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The EU is preparing a back-up plan worth up to €20bn for Ukraine, using a debt structure that sidesteps the objections of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán about funding the war-torn country. After EU leaders failed
A “sale pending” sign is posted in front of a home for sale on November 30, 2023 in San Anselmo, California. According to a report by the National Association of Realtors, pending home sales fell 1.5 percent in October to their lowest level in 20 years. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Justin Sullivan | Getty
A controversial proposed pipeline to carry Colorado River water to the southwest corner of Utah is under attack from conservation groups that are urging the federal government to cancel the project. The Lake Powell Pipeline would transport as much as 83,700 acre-feet of water per year from the Lake Powell reservoir to Washington County, Utah,
Fitch Ratings has raised the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority’s bonds to investment grade, bumping the authority’s rating two notches to BBB from BB-plus, with a rating outlook of stable. The ISFA issued bonds for Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Major League Baseball Chicago White Sox, and Soldier Field, home, at least for now, of
Global banks eliminated more than 60,000 jobs in 2023, marking one of the heaviest years for cuts since the financial crisis and reversing much of their hiring as they emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic. Investment banks suffered a second consecutive year of plummeting fees as dealmaking and public listings dried up, leaving Wall Street trying
News of the $68 billion budget deficit projected for California in fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24 raised alarm bells. But several state budget watchers say longer-term trends are less worrying. Though S&P Global Ratings revised the state’s outlook to stable from positive Friday, the rating agency has said the state remains solidly in the double-A
Cities and states saw pension liabilities rise in fiscal 2022 amid negative market returns even as they significantly boosted contributions with the support of federal stimulus aid. Those are the findings of a new white paper, “State and Local Pension Funds 2022,” which reviews the performance of 648 pension funds making up 90% of all