Bonds

Municipals were steady to start the week while the focus moved to the hefty primary slate as several deals priced bonds for retail to good demand. U.S. Treasuries were slightly weaker and equities closed the session in the black. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 64%, the three-year at 66%, the five-year at 66%,

Climate change will sap 18.3% of Puerto Rico’s economic activity unless it takes substantial steps to adapt to expected changing weather and environment, a study says. Without these steps Puerto Rico will lose $379.3 billion in gross domestic product it otherwise would have had from 2021 through 2050, according to a study released last week

Private activity bond issuance that could be flowing from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is stuck in a quagmire of regulations and unanswered questions.   “This all came in with a bunch of fanfare a couple of years ago and everyone thought it was going to be the next big thing, and unfortunately, it’s just sitting there,”

The House is expected to be working the weekend in order to bring a vote early next week on the continuing resolution, the funding package that is Congress’ best bet on keeping the government open after the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s six month funding package failed on

Federal Reserve Board Governor Michelle Bowman.Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg The Federal Reserve cited slower price growth and a softer labor market in its decision to lower interest rates by a half percentage point this week, but one policymaker sees those trends differently.  Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman voted against the decision Wednesday, noting that she would have preferred

Despite the pressure on U.S. Treasuries this week following the Federal Reserve’s 50 basis point rate cut, municipals closed out the week on track to post positive returns for the fourth consecutive month, the first time since 2021. Triple-A municipal yield curves were lightly traded and little changed while Treasuries saw small improvements for the

Tampa, Florida’s sales and utility tax bonds were upgraded to Aa1 from Aa3 by Moody’s Ratings and the outlook is stable. The upgrade affects Series 2016 and 2020 sales tax refunding and improvement bonds and Series 2012A and C utilities tax and Series 2010A & B utility tax revenue bonds. “That’s great news, and it

The death knell isn’t ringing for the tax exemption on municipal bonds, according to a panel at the National Association of Bond Lawyers conference, at least not yet — although the panel suggested the industry remind lawmakers of the role bonds play in their communities. The exemption remains an issue as policymakers will need to

Municipals were steady to weaker in spots Thursday, as U.S. Treasury yields rose five years and out and equities rallied. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 64%, the three-year at 66%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 70% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST read.

A larger than expected federal funds rate cut on Wednesday caught a lot of market experts off guard.  “I was surprised by the size of the cut,” said Vikram Rai, head of municipal markets strategy for Wells Fargo.  ”I was expecting 25 basis points, but you can rationalize 25 or 50.  Muni investors have waited for this,

The Empire State Development Corp. is set to sell $335.7 million of state sales tax revenue bonds on Thursday. The competitive deal is the only sizable offering from a New York state issuer on this week’s calendar, a contrast to the billion-dollar deals the state’s issuers have sold in recent months.  It was a week

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Municipal Securities director Dave Sanchez has a warning for advisors working on municipal market-adjacent deals like public-private partnerships or workforce housing: we’re watching you. Issuers, though not responsible for their municipal advisors, should be proactive in ensuring the firms are playing by the rules, said Sanchez, speaking Tuesday

Municipals were steady to slightly firmer in spots with several large new-issues pricing in the primary as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities were mixed as market participants await the FOMC rate decision Wednesday. “It’s all but a sure thing that the Fed will cut this week, but by how much is still up for

Franklin County, Ohio, will issue $138.2 million of lease revenue anticipation refunding bonds through the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority to refund or redeem outstanding Build America Bonds. The proceeds of the Series 2024 refunding bonds will also be used to consolidate the existing rental reserve and debt service reserve fund into a restructured rental

The authority that runs Guam’s lone commercial airport is pricing a $62.4 million Baa2-rated deal that will fund a tender offer of some of its outstanding taxable bonds Tuesday. The Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport Authority is the issuer. Barclays is the underwriter and Montague DeRose and Associates is the municipal advisor. Guam’s airport

With a 25-basis-point cut in the federal funds rate widely expected at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, economists are pondering what happens after that while they eagerly await the release of the Summary of Economic Projections. Although some have kept a chance of a larger cut in play. “Bond markets have

A $70 million bond issue for a central Arizona town is the target of a lawsuit that claims the debt’s approval last month violated the state constitution.   Council members in Payson, a town of about 16,680 in Gila County, passed a resolution for the sale of the tax-exempt, fixed-rate “pledged revenue obligations” in a 6-1

The NAFOA, founded as the Native American Finance Officers Association, announced that Cory M. Blankenship will take over the helm as the organization pushes the Tribal Tax & Investment Reform Act, which would free up tribal bond issuance.   “NAFOA has been working with Congresswoman Gwen Moore D-Wisc. and Congressman David Schweikert’s R-Ariz. offices to help

The muni bond market grew in the second quarter as ownership by household and exchange-traded funds grew, while U.S. banks and insurers continued to reduce their holdings, the latest Federal Reserve data shows. The face amount of munis outstanding ticked up to $4.129 trillion, a 1.1% increase from the first quarter of this year and

After just 20 months on the job, Federal Highway Administration head Shailen Bhatt has departed for the private sector. Bhatt announced Thursday that he’s taken a position at Montreal-based engineering services firm AtkinsRéalis. He joins as senior vice president and chief operating officer for the U.S., Latin America and Minerals & Metals. Current FHWA Deputy