Bonds

Federal Reserve officials stressed the need for further interest-rate increases to help tame inflation, but expressed differing views about how close they are to stopping after new data showed signs of persistent price pressures. Two officials said Tuesday that interest rates may need to move to a higher level than anticipated to ensure inflation continues

Midwest municipal bond sales slid by 17.4% in 2022 to $65.3 billion from $79 billion a year earlier as issuers soured on borrowing amid rising interest rates and a rockier market. The region fared slightly better than the overall national decline of 19.5% to $389.1 billion as issuers confronted rising interest rates and mutual fund

The value of contract awards spiked by a record 25% last year as federal infrastructure funds began to flow to state and local governments. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which tracks monthly data on the value of state and local government contract awards, said the 25% increase in calendar 2022 marked the largest

Post-COVID turnover in the state and local workforce, including elevated numbers of retirements and resignations, is forcing municipal bond analysts to rethink their assessment of pension risk — the possibility that pension and other postemployment benefit costs grow so much that they impair a bond issuer’s ability to pay its debts.  Pension actuaries use assumptions

Kathryn “Kasey” O’Connor, executive director of the California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program, was awarded the 2022 Chris Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Public Finance from the National Association of State Treasurers. California Treasurer Fiona Ma nominated O’ Connor for her advocacy of federal legislative issues while

Wells Fargo & Co. has named Julie Burger and Mark Burns as co-heads of their public finance division, the firm announced on Monday. They will report to Chuck Peck, head of Wells Fargo’s municipal products group, effective Feb. 27. Peter Cannava, current head of public finance, will become the leader of multifamily capital in Wells

Municipals were weaker in spots Monday as they face difficult technicals, while U.S. Treasuries were firmer five years and out and equities rallied. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 52%, the five-year at 54%, the 10-year at 60% and the 30-year at 87%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation cementing a Cook County Forest Preserve District pension funding overhaul that rescues the fund from looming insolvency. Lawmakers approved House Bill 1859 amending the state pension code’s article relating to the district during their lame-duck session last month. The legislation, signed by Pritzker Friday, takes effect June 1.

State treasurers gathered for a major conference in Washington Monday expressed concerns about the contentious Federal Data Transparency Act that became law last year. A panel discussion exploring that and other important topics in public finance occurred at the National Association of State Treasurers conference, and was moderated by Rachel Eubanks, the Michigan state treasurer.

A nearly depleted triple-A-rated school bond guarantee program in Texas will get a huge capacity increase after the state board of education lowered the amount set aside for a reserve.  The reduction in the Permanent School Fund program’s reserves to 0.25% from 5%, which was approved earlier this month, along with additional capacity from February

The tax revamp in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would become permanent under a bill with heavy Republican support introduced Monday. Florida Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan, vice-chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, on Monday re-introduced the TCJA Permanency Act, which he originally filed last September during the Democratic-controlled 117th Congress. The

Southwest issuers sold $82.2 billion of municipal debt last year, a 10.5% tumble from 2021 that was the smallest decrease among regions and well below the 19.5% plunge nationwide.  In Texas, which accounted for the lion’s share of the Southwest’s issuance, laws restricting access to government contracts shook up underwriter rankings as some big investment

Less than two years after selling $504.5 million of taxable pension bonds, Kansas is considering buying back a chunk of the debt from bondholders using surplus revenue. House Bill 2102 would appropriate $250 million for the state treasurer to repurchase $300 million of term bonds due in 2051 through a tender offer.  State Treasurer Steven

The Federal Reserve will likely have to keep raising interest rates to rein in price growth, which could slow economic expansion and affect the jobs market, Governor Michelle Bowman said. “We are still far from achieving price stability, and I expect that it will be necessary to further tighten monetary policy to bring inflation down

Total 2022 municipal bond sale volume plunged 19.5% from 2021, as issuers were flush with cash and rising interest rates stymied refundings and taxable issuances. Continued market volatility, inflation hitting four-decade highs, and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions kept issuers on the sidelines. Total volume in 2022 was $389.094 billion in

The amount of debt wrapped by bond insurance fell 23% in 2022, but industry bond insurance penetration remained at the 8% level, well above pre-pandemic levels. All municipal bond insurers wrapped $28.884 billion in 2022, a decrease from the $37.524 billion insured in 2021, according to Refinitiv data. The lower insurance volume resulted from the overall

Municipalities relied less on interim financing in 2022, which triggered a 25.6% decline in short-term note issuance, resulting in historically low volume for the year, according to municipal sources. Overall, short-term volume fell to $24.83 billion in 1,757 issues, compared to $33.35 billion in 1,944 issues in 2021, according to data from Refinitiv. City, state,

In a year marked by shrinking issuance, the electric power and utilities sectors showed the smallest volume contractions. Electric power declined 3.4% and utilities declined 10.1%, compared to 2021 levels. Overall municipal volume was down 19.5%. All data is from Refinitiv and all percentages are for changes in dollar issuance volume in 2022 compared to

Municipals were weaker Friday ahead of next week’s heavier new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities were mixed. Triple-A benchmark yields were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while U.S. Treasury yields rose three to eight basis points, pushing the two-year UST above 4.50%. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at

Nearly half of Puerto Rico’s residents will be exempt from paying a proposed charge to support the restructured Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bonds, the Puerto Rico Oversight Board said. The amended proposed PREPA plan of adjustment, filed Thursday, calls for a monthly fixed $13 fee and a volume-based charge for use up to 500

The Florida Legislature concluded its special session on Friday and passed new laws that renamed the Reedy Creek Improvement District and put its control in the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Legislature approved a bill in April to dissolve all independent special districts created before 1968. The bill’s authors and DeSantis made it clear it was intended to punish the