Bonds

Michigan drew an upgrade from Fitch Ratings over analysts’ view that a rebuilding of reserves and cash balances along with flush tax collections and conservative budgeting strengthens the state’s edge in weathering a future downtown. The upgrade to AA-plus from AA impacts $1 billion of outstanding general obligation debt and the Michigan School Bond Qualification

Municipals were weaker on the long end of the curve, largely ignoring the U.S. Treasury rally where yields fell double-digits Thursday, while outflows from municipal bond mutual funds returned. Equities made gains. Triple-A yields were cut up to three basis points while UST saw yields fall 12 to 16 basis points 10-years and in. Muni

Local governments plan to spend the majority of their Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds on roads, with water and broadband projects also getting high priority. That’s according to a joint survey by the National League of Cities and Polco, in which 82% of respondents said they intended to spend federal dollars on roads, bridges

Final financing deals are nearly complete for two long-planned commuter rail projects billed as transformational for the Northwest Indiana corridor that sits in the shadow of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Both Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District projects achieved major milestones in June. The Indiana Finance Authority closed on a $203.3 million federal Railroad

Municipal bond fund flows have a direct impact on borrowing decisions made by issuers held in the fund, argues an academic paper presented Tuesday at Brookings Municipal Finance Conference that sheds light on the little-studied question. But the relationship may appear less clear in the real-world experiences of some market participants. The impact, if any,

Municipals were steady to weaker in spots Tuesday as the $800-million-plus general obligation bond deal from the state of Washington took focus in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities rallied. Triple-A yields rose a basis point while UST saw yields rise again, as much as five to six, with larger losses on the

Despite resolving the largest bankruptcy in municipal market history, issues with the local government and questions over economic growth cloud Puerto Rico’s future, analysts and Oversight Board officials say. The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act helped restructure Puerto Rico’s debt and made some progress in budget reform, Center for a New Economy

Fresh off a whirlwind of visits to investors and meetings with rating agencies, Florida officials are confident the state’s finances will remain in good shape no matter what the future holds. In a yearly deep dive into its finances, Florida officials met with analysts at Moody’s Investors Service, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings as

Hospitals will need to raise rates, cut costs and implement “transformational” change to combat inflationary-driven pressures that are damaging margins and setting back the sector’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery, according to a Fitch Ratings report. “Not-for-profit hospital operating margins, which declined during the pandemic, will see further erosion due to ongoing inflationary pressures of elevated labor,

Climate mitigation efforts in cities with high risks of flooding will pay less in bond and insurance premiums if measures are taken to curb such activity. That’s according to a recent paper by Anya Nakhmurina, assistant professor of accounting at Yale School of Management and Shirley Lu, assistant professor at Harvard Business School’s accounting and

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will continue its efforts to improve post-trade transparency, as it plans to discuss a potential request for comment on Rule G-47 on time of trade disclosures during its quarterly meeting July 27-28. “The Board will discuss the status of its ongoing retrospective rule review and consider authorizing a new request

Municipals were steady to firmer in spots in lighter secondary trading amid an active primary while U.S. Treasuries were range-bound and equities were in the black. Muni to UST ratios were at 62% in five years, 80% in 10 years and 95% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services

Massachusetts plans to bring $2.7 billion of taxable business-tax backed special obligation revenue bonds with a social designation, marking the largest environmental, social and governance deal to date in the municipal market. The deal is also one of the larger taxable deals in 2022 in a year that has seen a significant drop in taxable

Los Angeles International Airport received a $50 million grant from the federal infrastructure bill for terminal road improvements, among the largest dispersed from the $1 billion allocated to 85 airports nationally. The grants are the first allotment in a five-year, $5 billion airport terminal grant program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Transportation

The Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin may render unconstitutional issuer statutes that prohibit the use of bond proceeds for religious purposes. The court ruled last month that if a state chooses to subsidize private education, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because of religious affiliation. The ruling could change the way some

Municipals were mixed to close out a quiet summer Friday session ahead of a larger new-issue calendar that sees several billion-dollar deals. Triple-A benchmark yields once again largely ignored a selloff in U.S. Treasuries after a robust jobs report indicated the Federal Reserve will likely hike interest rates another 75 basis points at its next

Chicago officials will welcome the buy-side back for an in-person event Aug. 11 during which its COVID-19 pandemic fiscal recovery efforts will take center stage as the city looks to court investors ahead of billions of planned borrowing this year. The annual conference gives Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration an opportunity to update the buy-side on healthier

Municipals were steady to firmer in secondary trading Thursday as a large airport revenue bond offering from the City and County of Denver, Colorado, and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority’s MTA deal took the focus. Municipals continued to ignore the movements of U.S. Treasuries, which saw yields rise for the second day, while equities

Municipals rallied Wednesday, ignoring a selloff in U.S. Treasuries, after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes reiterated the Fed’s position it would raise rates 50 to 75 basis points at its July meeting to stave off inflation. Equities ended slightly up.. Municipals were in their own lane Wednesday and triple-A yields fell four to

Michigan’s approved fiscal 2023 budget boosts the rainy day fund to a new peak and sends $2.6 billion to public pension plans, but tougher discussions lie ahead over the fate of billions in remaining revenues left on the table. Officials differ over what type of tax relief to provide with a portion of those billions.