Bonds

Interest rates are low. The yields aren’t exactly jaw-dropping. Legislative and regulatory back-and-forths in Washington have injected increased volatility into what is traditionally considered a safe, stable asset class — municipal bonds. But still, Texas-based advisor Jordan Benold has seen strong demand for munis throughout 2021. He also expects munis to remain a valuable tool
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The year winds down with another day of an unchanged muni market and slightly weaker U.S. Treasury market while equities were mixed. Triple-A benchmarks were left unchanged and ratios were also little changed. The five-year was at 47%, 70% in 10 and 78% in 30, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services
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The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department’s regulation project on Libor will likely result in final guidance this coming year. Market participants expect that Treasury’s Office of Management and Budget will release the final regulation sooner rather than later. The cessation of Libor matters because existing debt and contracts may reference it, potentially impacting variable-rate
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Municipals were thinly traded and benchmark yields little changed while U.S. Treasuries were a tick better on the 10- and 30-year and equities continued their march upward. Triple-A benchmarks were left unchanged and ratios were also little changed. The five-year was at 47%, 70% in 10 and 78% in 30, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo looked out at the Economic Club of New York luncheon gathering. “It’s been a hard year. We can’t sugarcoat that,” the former Rhode Island governor said. “But there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic … We ought to take a second to look at the bright side.” One
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Two New York City pension funds have successfully completed the divestment of securities related to fossil fuel companies, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Comptroller Scott Stringer announced Wednesday. The Trustees of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) and the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS) said the action brings their total divestment across
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Berwyn, Illinois’ ratings remain intact after a review ahead of its $99 million general obligation debt refunding, restructuring and new money issue that will provide budgetary relief and pay down unfunded public safety pension liabilities. S&P Global Ratings had put the city’s BBB GO and A-minus securitization ratings on CreditWatch with developing implications Sept. 30
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In some ways, the pandemic has expanded the municipal market’s use of technology. How are participants using these new tools in an industry that often lags behind? Experts Unmesh Bhide, CFA, chief product officer and co-founder of PricingDirect, Lumesis CEO Gregg Bienstock and Munite/PFM director of municipal investor relations John M. Murphy join moderator Lynn
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What’s ahead in public finance? Join San Diego County Water Authority finance director and treasurer Lisa Marie Harris, City of San José deputy director of debt and Treasury management Nikolai J. Sklaroff and City and County of San Francisco public finance director Anna Van Degna in this Arizent Leaders panel discussion to explore this and
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Higher education credit downgrades remain more likely than upgrades next year as colleges and universities cope with the latest form of the COVID-19 virus, analysts at Fitch Ratings said. “The neutral sector outlook for U.S. colleges and universities reflects Fitch Ratings’ expectation for some enrollment recovery, solid state budget prospects and good levels of budgetary
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A round of settlements involving the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s 529 plan share class initiative shows that a number of firms are agreeing to enhance supervisory systems and procedures and compensate harmed customers. Letters of acceptance, waiver and consent (AWC) for five cases involving the 529 initiative, were listed Tuesday in FINRA’s disciplinary actions online
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Municipals continued on the unchanged path with sparse trading and no primary to speak of for guidance, keeping the asset class in idle mode to end 2021. The Investment Company Institute reported $91 million of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds in the week ending Dec. 15, down from $517 million in the previous week.
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Missouri school districts must reject mask mandates, quarantine orders and other measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic or lose access to the state’s credit enhancement program. State Treasurer Scott Fitzgerald said districts must sign a letter confirming their compliance with an attorney general’s order following a court ruling that threw out many local health orders.
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Municipals held steady Thursday, keeping to a theme that the market remains unlikely to take movements in U.S. Treasuries and equities into account for the asset class, as issuance fades and year-end approaches. Triple-A benchmarks were little changed while Treasuries improved and equities saw losses, led by tech stocks. Ratios were slightly higher with the
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