Bonds

Municipals were steady to end a month that saw anemic supply and muni yields selling off. U.S. Treasuries were firmer out long, and equities ended down. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 62%, the five-year at 63%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year at 91%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE

Central bankers must augment what they learn from incoming data with clues gleaned from the real economy and avoid putting too much weight on financial markets, said Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee. In his first public speech since taking office last month, Goolsbee acknowledged it was tempting to lean on the instant

Citing Kansas’ “very strong” combined general fund and budget stabilization fund balance, S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday revised the outlook on the state’s ratings to positive from stable. The outlook change covers the state’s AA-minus issuer rating, A-plus appropriation-backed debt rating, and AA Kansas Department of Transportation highway revenue bond rating.  “The positive outlook reflects

February municipal bond issuance dropped 42% year-over-year, led by a steep decline in taxables and refundings, as issuers dealt with continued market uncertainty, still too-high inflation and states and local governments’ ability to wait due to flush coffers. Total volume for the month was $18.303 billion in 391 issues versus $31.602 billion in 877 issues

The Biden administration this week released revamped guidance on how state departments of transportation spend federal transportation infrastructure funds in the wake of a controversial memo that opponents said tried to limit state flexibility. The revised document from new Federal Highway Administration chief Shailen Bhatt, released Friday, emphasizes the authority that state departments of transportation

While the toxic East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment doesn’t threaten bondholders, the wreck raises the specter of so-called “black swan” events and has the potential to influence credit analysis, ESG analysis and investing, risk disclosure, and how federal infrastructure funds are spent. Local, state and federal authorities remain on the scene overseeing frequent water and

Fritz Stradling, who co-founded Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth’s public finance practice, died peacefully in his sleep on Feb. 17. He was 96. He and his fellow co-founders of Stradling’s public finance practice, John Murphy and Tom Clark, are credited with helping to give California bond law firms stature in the public finance world. “Before

MassachusettsGov. Maura Healey unveileda tax relief proposal Monday, a key feature of her administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget due to be presented to lawmakers on Wednesday. “This proposal centers affordability, competitiveness, and equity each step of the way, delivering relief to those who need it most and making reforms that will attract and retain more

Municipals were little changed, no more than a basis point or two in spots, while U.S. Treasuries were better and equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 62%, the five-year at 63%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year at 91%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had

Chicago Public Schools will tap its investment-grade dedicated capital improvement tax credit for the first time in five years in a $529 million issue pricing Tuesday.   The Dedicated Capital Improvement Tax bonds, which offer several layers of protections that insulate pledged revenues from the school district’s operations, carry an A rating and stable outlook

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain will hear arguments on whether the proposed plan of adjustment is unconfirmable on unequal treatment grounds. Parties should be ready to discuss, as argued by PREPA bank trustee U.S. Bank National, whether the board’s plan is “patently unconfirmable” because the bond’s trust agreement precludes “individualized

The University of Minnesota plans to ask the state for $950 million to acquire and operate its flagship academic health care facilities now operated under an affiliation agreement with Fairview Health Services. Fairview plans to merge with South Dakota-based Sanford Health.  The university, which previously said it intended to seek state help but had not

The Chicago Civic Federation named Sarah Wetmore to serve as acting president during a search for a permanent leader for the research organization after the unexpected Feb. 4 death of Laurence Msall. Wetmore, the federation’s vice president and research director, worked closely with Msall. Wetmore will assume Msall’s former duties including serving as the spokesperson

The Internal Revenue Service is questioning the status of South Carolina-based Hampton County School District’s 2010 direct payment qualified school construction bonds. That’s according to the district’s recent disclosure on EMMA, which notes the district received a Proposed Adverse Determination letter on Feb.17 and will be challenging the notice. “The Consolidated School District disagrees with

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed the bill to rename the Reedy Creek Improvement District that end the Walt Disney Co.’s governance of the special district. He also named a five-member state-controlled board to run the renamed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Municipal bondholders will be relatively unaffected by the name change and governance

A decision last week by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear a case out of Arkansas could fuel more legislative attempts to cut companies off from doing business, including municipal bond underwriting, with state and local governments if their policies are considered harmful to certain industries.  The litigation challenged a 2017 Arkansas law requiring

The Internal Revenue Service has finalized its regulations on electronic filing of Form 8038-CP, its return for credit payments for issuers of qualified bonds and will be requiring electronic filing for all returns filed after Dec. 31, 2023. This is part of a larger effort by the IRS to modernize its filing system after experiencing

Municipals were mixed to end the week as U.S. Treasury yields rose double-digits five years and in and equities ended down. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 61%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year at 91%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had the three

Flanked by officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday hosted a groundbreaking for a terminal project she said will cap John F. Kennedy International Airport’s $18 billion redevelopment. “The groundbreaking offers a complete vision for the modernized global gateway,” Hochul said at a ceremony held

Two rating agencies hit Ohio-based UC Health with two-notch downgrades and warned of the potential for further cuts citing operating losses that could lead to future covenant violations.   Moody’s Investors Service dropped its rating on the system to Baa2 from A3 Feb. 7 and placed the rating under review for a further downgrade. S&P

The U.S. Treasury resumed operations of its Office of Recovery Programs Contact Center on Feb. 21, providing local governments with an important link to the federal agency as they seek to complY with the conditions governing the federal money. The help desk fielded about 300 calls and about 2,000 emails a week before shuttering last October