Bonds

Billions of dollars in tax incentives are under scrutiny in Georgia this legislative offseason. In the three months since the state legislature adjourned for 2023, the General Assembly’s Joint Tax Credit Review Panel has met three times in the city of Rome to evaluate the effectiveness of wide-ranging tax incentives that have helped fuel the

Fitch Ratings revised to positive from stable the outlook on $32 million of refunding revenue bonds associated with the construction of Atlanta’s city courthouse as revenue streams continue a post-pandemic recovery. The outlook change applies to $32 million of tax-exempt certificates of participation issued by the Georgia Municipal Authority in 2016 to refund a 2002

The Biden administration’s year-old rule allowing retirement plan managers to consider environmental, social and governance factors in their investment decisions has survived a challenge from 26 Republican-led states. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas upheld the Department of Labor rule Thursday in a 14-page opinion. “While the

Municipal bond prices weakened again Monday as the market looked ahead to a $6.3 billion slate of sales led by two big deals from issuers in Texas and Florida. Municipals continued the selloff seen last week, with yields rising Monday by as many as 12 basis points. Treasury yields also rose while stock prices ended

Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has been a long-time advocate of key public finance issues and is so far resisting calls to resign his seat in Congress. Menendez, indicted last week on federal bribery charges, has already stepped aside as chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, but his influence on financial legislation could continue

New Jersey’s American Dream Mall reported a $245 million loss as costs increases outstripped modest revenue gains in 2022. According to a three-page financial document posted on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA bond disclosure website Monday, the mall, developed with help of large public financing package, reported a loss four times bigger than the

Bondholders may have actionable claims related to the sale of now-defaulted debt that financed an Arizona participant sports venue for Legacy Cares Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in May, according to a disclosure notice.  Law firm Davis & Ceriani “has concluded that there may be actionable claims related to the sale of the bonds that

Legislation that would update Internal Revenue Service rules governing debt financing for small to mid-sized manufacturers and farmers is getting a fresh push in the Senate. The Modernizing Agricultural and Manufacturing Bonds Act is sponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.   “By modernizing and clarifying the rules for aggie bonds and industrial development

Munis were weaker Friday ahead of a larger new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasuries saw yields fall, and equities ended the trading session up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Friday was at 66%, the three-year was at 67%, the five-year at 68%, the 10-year at 71% and the 30-year at 90%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read.

S&P Global Ratings said Friday it revised Pennsylvania’s credit outlook to positive from stable. At the same time, S&P affirmed its A-plus long-term rating on the state’s $10.7 billion of outstanding general obligation bonds. S&P said the outlook reflects “our view that Pennsylvania has continued to make progress toward structural budgetary balance, with positive operating

Nuveen’s former longtime head of municipals John Miller has landed at New York-based First Eagle Investments, where he will oversee the firm’s debut in the municipal bond market. Miller, 56, is expected to join the firm in January, where he will set up a new muni department that will focus on junk bonds, his specialty

Munis sold off Thursday, joining bond markets and equities in a rout after the Fed signaled that interest rates would be higher for longer. The Federal Open Market Committee held rates steady Wednesday, as expected, but signaled another hike this year. Munis were steady Wednesday but triple-A yields were cut eight to 16 basis points

Ignoring a hesitance to cut rates at the Fed, recession worries, and a federal shutdown threat, many state and local governments are still flush with revenue resulting in Indiana muni bonds being paid off early.  “We’ve defeased pretty much every bond that we can at this point,” said Zac Jackson, Indiana’s budget director, during a

Municipals were steady Wednesday as U.S. Treasuries were mixed fiollowing the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates. Equities ended the trading session down. As was expected, the FOMC held rates in a range between 5.25% and 5.50%, but the dot plot in the Summary of Economic Projections showed 12 of 19 members expect another 25-basis-point

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board now includes hourly updates from Bloomberg’s BVAL AAA Municipal Curve on its EMMA online system, a move the board says seeks to enhance transparency for investors, issuers and market participants. The updated site now shows BVAL AAA Municipal Curve updates hourly between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern, in addition

Municipals were weaker Tuesday as triple-A yields rose in sympathy with U.S. Treasuries. Equities ended the session down ahead of the close of the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting Wednesday. Triple-A yields were cut two to seven basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose four to six basis points, pushing the two-,

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund is running dry as Congress squabbles over appropriations, opening the possibility that the federal government’s ability to respond to national disasters will be compromised and the burden will shift to state and local budgets.  To avoid that scenario the agency is currently tapping its Immediate Needs Funding

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended his state’s gasoline tax for one month as prices at the pump continue to increase. Kemp cited high fuel costs and persistent inflation when he declared a legal state of emergency last week and signed an executive order suspending Georgia’s 31.2 cents-per-gallon tax on gas and 35-cents-per-gallon tax on

California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a pair of big climate-change related announcements this weekend as Climate Week NYC kicked off in New York City. During a Sunday interview at the event, Newsom said he plans to sign into law two bills approved by state lawmakers intended to force major corporations to be more transparent about

California lawmakers ended their session Thursday with a flurry of legislation, including a bill that would allow striking workers to collect unemployment. The bill, strongly supported by labor unions, but opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce, would allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits after being on strike for two weeks. Senate Bill 799,