Bonds

Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her vice president in the 2024 race catapults the former geography teacher, veteran and former Congressman to the national stage and with it, his long track record as a champion for local issues. Walz follows Walter Mondale, vice president to Jimmy Carter, and Hubert Humphrey

Following a three-day extended rally, municipals reversed course and were mostly weaker five years and out Tuesday in secondary trading as the primary market took focus with several large deals. U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities rallied. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 64%, the three-year at 66%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy saga of Iowa’s Mercy Hospital continues, with master trustee Computershare Trust filing a notice Thursday about the distribution of cash to bondholders and a status conference on Friday yielding some progress on stalled payments. According to an August 1 filing by Computershare Trust posted on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bond parties asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Monday to reject the Oversight Board’s request to rehear the court’s June decision that bondholders have a lien on the authority’s net revenues. While the board’s request delays the bankruptcy, it “has the positive effect of clarifying, in

With a fresh leadership team, an expiring third-party manager contract and a recent upgrade from Fitch, the Long Island Power Authority is set to price a billion-dollar bond issuance on Tuesday. LIPA’s $1.021 billion of electric system general revenue bonds will include $736 million of Series 2024A, tax-exempt fixed-rate bonds and $285 million of Series

With the launch of several muni exchange-traded funds in recent weeks, there are now just over 100 muni ETFs in the space as firms ramp up their offerings to fill the gap in the marketplace and address the growing demand from clients. “There’s definitely a bit of an arms race out there,” said Brendan McCarthy,

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation board shocked the municipal bond market on Tuesday with a proposal that would switch out CUSIP numbers with Financial Instrument Global Identifiers, a marker based on standards developed by Bloomberg.  “It was an opaque process, but we did hear of efforts behind closed doors to expand the scope of FDTA to include

Williams College, the liberal arts school sprawled across 450 acres of the Berkshire highlands in Massachusetts, is out to show municipal bond investors the greater value of some higher education debt. The alma mater of former President James Garfield and current U.S. Rugby Olympian Kristi Kirshe plans to sell $108 million of bonds next week

Following the receipt of $12 billion from the Biden administration in July of this year, the Gateway Development Commission is seeking to execute an additional $3.8 billion Federal State Partnership grant agreement from the Federal Railroad Administration.   The additional funds will provide the GDC with a cushion with which to facilitate advance payments, as well

Municipals extended their rally Friday, underperforming U.S. Treasuries which saw yields plummet up to nearly 30 basis points on the short end after a weaker-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report. Equities sold off. Muni yields were bumped nine to 14 basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell 17 to 29 basis points, pushing two-,

Though a spike in interest rates is largely responsible for the decline in pension obligation bond issuance in California, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association may have played a role. In 2021, the anti-tax organization began challenging lawsuits that local governments had filed seeking expedited judgment to validate proposed pension obligation bond issuance. Most cities abandoned

Municipals were firmer Thursday as muni mutual funds saw inflows top $1 billion and issuers were paid $26 billion of principal. U.S. Treasuries rallied and equities sold off. Muni yields were bumped two to eight basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell up to 13 basis points on the short end. The

The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority expects to price $1.33 billion in Baa3-rated toll bonds next week, in a public-private partnership to replace the Calcasieu River Bridge, but with the bonds backed by toll revenues, there remains some concerns about drivers using alternate routes to avoid the charge. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo will manage the deal.

Municipals were steady, underperforming U.S. Treasuries after the Federal Reserve held rates, as expected. Equities ended up. Wednesday was about setting market participants up for a policy change in September, said Jeff MacDonald, executive vice president and head of fixed-income strategies at Fiduciary Trust International. The muni yield curve has “remained stubbornly inverted” throughout most

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s disaster declaration request July 23, it upset the four counties Whitmer had sought assistance for: Branch, Cass, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph. “The damage from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments

Municipals were little changed Tuesday as U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities were mixed toward the end of the session. Muni yields remain near levels seen at the start of summer last year, said Tom Kozlik, managing director and head of public policy and municipal strategy at HilltopSecurities. Yields may move lower after the Federal

Two years after the sale of nearly $2.9 billion of ratepayer-backed bonds to cover huge costs Oklahoma utilities incurred during a fierce 2021 winter storm, concerns are still being raised about the debt.  Last week, a battle ensued over audits utility regulator, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), is obliged to provide under a law passed

Municipals were little changed Monday as U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities ended mixed. While munis have been steady over the past several trading sessions, changed no more than a basis point or two, munis “continue to rally [this month] as yields have fallen an average of 15 basis points across the curve,” said Jason

New York City will offer $1.2 billion of refunding general obligation bonds on Tuesday, marking its first deal of the fiscal year, just weeks after the New York City Transitional Finance Authority sold $2.11 billion. This test of the market’s appetite for Big Apple debt should be aced, one observer said.  “The city is in

Private equity giant KKR is buying Philadelphia-based broker-dealer Janney Montgomery Scott LLC. Janney, which dates to 1832, operates as a full-service wealth management, investment banking, and asset management firm. KKR announced Tuesday that it will acquire the firm from The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, its owner since 1982. After the deal closes, Janney, which