Bonds

The Virgin Islands Superior Court ruled the territory’s Senate has the power to alter the Water and Power Authority’s board of directors, a decision one municipal bond analyst called a credit positive. The court upheld a Senate bill requiring board members to have greater expertise in energy, technology, economics, and finance; reducing the number of

After turning down several chances to legalize sports betting this year, Georgia lawmakers will face another vote on the matter before the end of the legislative session on March 29. The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee voted 8-1 on Thursday to amend an existing bill designating a local soapbox derby race as the state’s

Cascade County, Montana, will price $250 million in green revenue bonds Tuesday for Montana Renewables, LLC. The county is the conduit issuer for the tax exempt solid waste disposal and sewage facilities revenue bonds, subject to the alternative minimum tax, that will be repaid by Montana Renewables, a company that converts waste products into transportation

A group of Washington lawmakers from New York and New Jersey have formed a caucus to force the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hit the brakes on its first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan. The governors of the neighboring states are also weighing in as the Biden administration decides whether to approve the plan. House Representatives Josh Gottheimer,

The ongoing efforts in Congress to tweak the state and local tax deduction limit added a new chapter as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, re-introduced the SALT Deduction Fairness Act last week, legislation which seeks to double the deduction to $20,000 for married filers. Currently the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted by single

The American Rescue Plan Act’s “offset provision” may be tested in the nation’s highest court, after Ohio petitioned the Supreme Court to hear its case against Janet Yellen and the Department of Treasury’s provision that bars states from using federal relief funds to offset reductions in tax revenue. That’s the latest in the multi-state battle

Bills seeking to restrict or expand municipal bond issuance and rein in debt practices are on the menu for Texas lawmakers during the legislative session that commenced in January and wraps up in late May.  Numerous bond-related measures are among a record 8,153 bills and joint resolutions introduced in the Republican-controlled legislature by a March

EDITORS’ PICKComplimentary access to top ideas and insights — curated by our editors. The Bond Buyer is excited to announce the return of the Hall of Fame of municipal finance for a second class of inductees, alongside the eighth annual class of Rising Stars, a program which showcases the brightest young minds in this industry.

Unlike recent Federal Open Market Committee meetings, where the market knew what to expect, this week’s could go one of several ways, analysts said. “Economist and market projections of the likely path of the Fed funds rate are all over the map and appear to be shifting dramatically on a daily basis,” said Scott Anderson,

Municipals were firmer in spots to end a chaotic week that saw triple-A benchmarks both follow U.S. Treasuries in a flight to quality and ignore UST movements — as munis did on Friday for the most part — as the banking sector crisis continued. USTs rallied and equities sold off Friday. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped

Regional leaders in the Northeast kept up high-profile efforts to show support for local entities facing challenges after the failures of Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature Bank in New York. Despite federal measures to backstop all deposits, even those higher than the $250,000 deposit insurance limit, the failure of the California bank, which

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed an independent watchdog within the California Energy Commission to monitor the state’s petroleum market on a daily basis. The proposal represents a shift from his plan to place a cap on oil company profits, though it would give the commission more authority to investigate gasoline price spikes and the

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said the Federal Reserve shouldn’t be spooked into easing its campaign to contain inflation out of excessive concern about a credit crunch in the wake of the recent banking turmoil. “It would be very unfortunate if, out of solicitude for the banking system, the Fed were to slow down its

The banking sector crisis cast a wide net of influence over the municipal market this week, stirring pricing volatility, upending monetary policy predictions and raising questions among participants over how deep the troubles run and whether the potential contagion will roil economic prospects. Silvergate Bank’s March 8th announcement it was closing up shop led the

The takeover of the Houston Independent School District by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on the basis of academic performance does not affect its AA-plus underlying rating, S&P Global Ratings analysts said Friday. The TEA said Wednesday the largest public school district in Texas will be run by a state-appointed board of managers and superintendent

Munis largely ignored a U.S. Treasury sell-off as reports that some troubled banks were getting new funding helped calm investors’ concerns about a global banking crisis. Equities rallied on the news. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose 10 to 25 basis points 10 years

A Biden administration proposal aimed at providing relief for transit agencies struggling with anemic ridership would benefit large agencies but could pressure smaller ones, local transit officials told a Senate panel Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget, unveiled last week, would free up $6.7 billion in so-called 5307 urbanized area grant formula grants

Trading spreads on Illinois GO bonds narrowed this week after the state’s latest rating upgrade, and an uptick in tax revenues could help keep the positive ratings momentum going if the state makes more headway on paying off debts and building reserves. The state’s moves to build up its rainy-day fund, pay down debts, and

The largest public school system in Texas will be run by state-appointed managers starting later this year as part of a takeover announced Wednesday by the Texas Education Agency. Houston Independent School District, which had $2.4 billion of bonds outstanding as of June 30, was targeted for takeover on the basis of academic performance.  The

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules for all market entities, including broker dealers and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, to help address cybersecurity risks as one part of a three-part proposal intended to strengthen cybersecurity protections. Proposed new Rule 10, if implemented, would require entities across markets to establish, maintain and enforce

The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have added to the uncertainty of whether the U.S. and California are headed for a recession. That lack of clarity led UCLA Anderson Forecast economists to provide a dual forecast in the quarterly report they released Wednesday: one where a recession lies ahead and one where