Bonds

A stark decline in reserves and cash on hand that could put bond covenants at risk resulted in San Diego-area Palomar Health’s ratings being placed under review for downgrade by Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s currently rates the general obligation bonds A1 and the revenue bonds Baa3. If the revenue bond ratings are downgraded one notch,

Municipal bond analysts should expect increased uncertainty as they work to assess the impact of pensions and other postemployment benefits on credit quality in 2024.  Pension risk — the possibility that pension and other postemployment benefit costs can rise to such a degree as to impair a bond issuer’s ability to pay its debts —

Clarity from a recent court ruling along with the level of current interest rates will likely lead to a dramatic increase in Build America Bonds being called by issuers this year, market participants say. While only a small amount of BABs have been called using an “extraordinary redemption provision” since sequestration of BABs subsidies began

As New York City gets set to issue $1.2 billion of fiscal 2024 series C general obligation bonds, rating agencies affirmed the Big Apple’s $40 billion of outstanding GO debt. Proceeds will be used to fund capital projects; a $309.4 million reoffering will also be sold to convert outstanding floating-rate bonds to fixed-rate securities. Book-running

Municipal bond issuers in the Northeast sold $89.3 billion of debt in 2023, a 14% year-over-year drop that drove the national market into negative territory. Muni issuance in the region’s 11 states, two territories and the District of Columbia came in more than $14 billion below 2022 numbers, according to data from LSEG, formerly Refinitiv,

The story stays the same and that is munis remain rich but an uptick in supply will bring some pressure to the asset class. The steadiness of the muni market, despite the swings in USTs, shows both the trepidation of investor commitment at these levels and the underlying strength of the credit quality of the

Not-for-profit healthcare finances should improve this year, rating agencies said, and many healthcare issuers plan to test the bond market. The sector reached a “turning point” in calendar year 2023, Fitch Ratings said in a report released Wednesday. The latest perspective offers a shift from challenges and expectations analysts predicted as recently as January. Analysts

Louisiana is set to float $1.34 billion of private activity bonds in April as part of its largest public-private partnership to date, which will replace an aging bridge over Interstate 10 near St. Charles. The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority released details of the financing after the State Bond Commission last week signed off on the

Alabama airports would be able to enter into public-private partnerships under a bill that advanced through the state House this week. House Bill 87 passed the House Tuesday less than three weeks since it was introduced by Republican state Rep. Chip Brown. It is now pending at the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee. “Alabama is

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is partnering with other federal regulators to lessen fears regarding the implementation of the Financial Data Transparency Act. The goal of this new law, which was passed in 2022, is to provide more transparency to the financial markets by introducing machine-readable formats into the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA

Miami International Airport received $27 million from the federal government for infrastructure projects designed to improve the passenger experience at one of the nation’s busiest airports. The funding was announced at a Thursday ceremony at MIA: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava welcomed Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary, and Shannetta Griffin, the

Municipal bond issuance in the Far West region in 2023 was up 13.1% year-over-year to $75.2 billion, spurred in part by a fourth quarter rally, boosting sales 45% compared to the same period in 2022, according to data from LSEG, formerly Refinitiv. “There has been a tremendous rally, starting in December when the Federal Reserve

S&P Global Ratings has revised the outlook on Chicago’s general obligation bonds to stable from positive, the rating agency announced Thursday. S&P affirmed its BBB-plus rating on the bonds. The downward revision reflects budgetary pressures that have not been counterbalanced by new revenue growth, S&P said. Specifically, S&P cited rising public safety labor costs, recent

Municipals were little changed Thursday as muni mutual funds reported another round of outflows and the final deals of the week priced in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were weaker inside 10 years and equities rallied. Municipal bond mutual funds saw the third week of outflows, with LSEG Lipper reporting $11.4 million of outflows for the

Startup firm OpenYield is preparing to launch a digital fixed-income trading platform by the end of this quarter tailored toward retail investors. The fixed-income platform will focus on munis, along with Treasuries and corporates, said Jonathan Birnbaum, OpenYield’s founder and CEO. OpenYield can provide users with a “completely modern and equity-like trading experience because our

Dispensing infrastructure spending, combined with the need for advising on the implementation of the Financial Data Transparency Act has the Treasury Department looking to the private sector for talent and expertise.    Recent hires by Treasury seem to indicate the agency’s desire to bolster its staff with experienced experts from the private sector. The money flowing

Telluride, a ski resort destination in Colorado, is the first vacation town to sell municipal bonds for affordable housing this year. It likely won’t be the last. The reason for last week’s sale is immediately apparent by typing “Homes for Sale Telluride Colorado” in an Internet browser. The websites that appear show that anyone wanting

Washington, D.C.-based National Law Enforcement Officers Museum is turning to Congress for help in covering bond payments. The museum, which has struggled since it opened in late 2018, is propping up this year’s budget with a donation from Clint Eastwood, while it lobbies for passage of a House Republican bill that would send it federal

States, municipalities and public entities in the Southeast sold fewer municipal bonds last year than they did in 2022 as the uncertainty about the direction of interest rates took its toll on new issuance during the first half of the year. Full-year volume dropped 6.8% in 2023 to $65.8 billion from the $70.5 billion sold

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain rejected Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bond parties’ motion for immediate consideration of their request for a receiver. Bond parties last week requested a hearing within 30 days to lift the bankruptcy’s stay on remedies, like their appointment of a receiver for PREPA. Swain said she would consider the

Municipals were slightly firmer in spots Wednesday, as U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities saw more losses after January’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes showed the Fed was not in a hurry to cut rates. Triple-A yield curves were firmer by a basis point or two while a larger new-issue calendar was the focus