Last year was a record-breaker for the $4 trillion municipal market and a momentous one for the U.S. economy as well, what with the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates for the first time since 2022 and Republicans regaining control of the White House and both houses of Congress. But less than a month into 2025,
Bonds
The Chicago area’s Regional Transporation Authority is calling for $1.5 billion in funding from state and local sources, including higher local sales taxes and rider fares. Regional Transportation Authority With Chicago-area transit services facing a fiscal cliff and state lawmakers in Springfield advocating major governance reforms, the region’s Regional Transportation Authority released a plan last
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. The top five bond financings in the ranking came in at more than $7 billion, according to data from LSEG. The top 20 bonds had a total issuance volume of more than $15 billion. Scroll through to see which bond financings are
<img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21257304/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were firmer Tuesday as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended up. Muni yields were bumped one to four basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell up to seven basis points out long. As the last third of January progresses, munis are in the red,
Ken Bentsen, president and chief executive officer of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). Bloomberg News Advocating for maintaining the tax-exempt status for municipal securities will be “a priority” for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association going forward, SIFMA’s President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. said Tuesday. “Obviously, we have a
Nonprofit hospitals, which are frequent bond issuers, would take hits from some policy changes floated by House Republicans on the hunt for revenue.Matt Stroshane/Bloomberg News A House Republican menu of proposed cuts and revenue-raisers floated last week, which includes the elimination of tax-exempt bonds, would also impose limits on some advance infrastructure funds and potentially
Stephens, Inc. Stan Osborne, a former public school chief financial officer in Texas, has joined Stephens, Inc. as a vice president for public finance in the firm’s Houston office. He has more than 20 years of school finance experience, which includes his previous role as CFO of Aldine Independent School District, according to the Little
At least one Kansas public school district will delay an April 1 bond election after the state Board of Education approved only some of the $469 million in school debt requests this month due to cap constraints.AdobeStock Requests by public school districts in Kansas for bond authorization from the state department of education exceeded a
Transcription: Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio for the authoritative record. Mike Scarchilli (00:05):Hi everyone and welcome to the Bond Buyer Podcast, your essential resource for insights into the world of public finance and infrastructure development. I’m Mike Scarchilli,
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, called for pumping the brakes on further tax reductions that impact the state’s bottom line.Bloomberg News With a $23.8 billion budget balance forecast for the start of its fiscal 2026-27 biennium, Texas’ financial cushion remains plush, but other Southwest states are feeling a fiscal pinch in the wake of
Christopher Iacovella, American Securities Association With Congress gearing up for a months-long tax debate, the municipal finance community needs to pay close attention. The 2017 tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year and policymakers are searching to find new ways to extend and pay for them. Unfortunately, a vocal minority
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairs the House Ways and Means Committee weighing the tax-exemption’s fate. The House Ways and Means Committee is considering the total elimination of tax-exempt bonds, according to a 51-page list of targeted programs, policies and plans for a reconciliation bill obtained Friday by The Bond Buyer. It’s a wide-ranging and tentative
Search and rescue operations in Los Angles Wednesday in the wake of the Palisades Fire. Bloomberg News Fitch Ratings placed four credits — led by the city of Los Angeles the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — on rating watch negative, citing the region’s wildfires. Fitch also placed two utilities tightly linked to
“Because of the broad, bipartisan support we have built for the LIHTCs, we believe there is a real opportunity to include housing credit provisions in the forthcoming major tax legislation,” said Emily Cadik, CEO, Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition. AHTC The Trump administration is sending out signals about how it intends to address the nation’s
<img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21211283/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were firmer ahead of a nearly $10 billion new-issue calendar as U.S. Treasury yields rose inside 10 years and equities were up late in the session. Since the start of 2025, UST yields sold off around 20 basis points but “retraced more than half on the back of
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law a host of tax and spending changes that ratings agencies say should address a projected deficit but whose effects bear watching.Bloomberg News Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Ratings, and S&P Global Ratings say Louisiana’s recently adopted tax changes should address what had been projected to be a $587 million or
Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates acquisition of G.L. Hicks deepens larger firm’s bench in healthcare finance, said Adam Bauer, Fieldman’s chief executive officer.Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates California municipal advisory powerhouse Fieldman, Rolapp & Co. started the new year with an acquisition enabling it to deepen its bench in healthcare finance. Fieldman acquired Orem, Utah-based municipal advisor
MSRB Chair Warren “Bo” Daniels.MSRB The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Thursday announced the members of its 2025 advisory groups, including those tapped for a new group that will focus on the intersection of technological innovation and municipal securities market regulation. The advisory groups include a cross section of muni market experts who will provide insights
Advisors to municipal bond issuers and borrowers, as well as rating agencies for municipal bonds, want to know that local governments and public agencies are on top of their financial and organizational management. Data-driven initiatives are one component to help monitor the goings-on of public agencies that help communicate what is and isn’t going in
“The best defense is a good offense,” said GFOA federal liaison Emily Brock of meeting with Congress to promote the importance of the tax exemption on municipal bonds.Donna Alberico With a “defense wins championships” strategy in mind, the municipal market lobby will head to Capitol Hill in the next few weeks for meetings with lawmakers
New York Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is more than $2.5 billion larger than the current budget.Bloomberg News New York Mayor Eric Adams, bolstered by lower-than-forecast spending on migrants, proposed a $114.5 billion budget that allocates hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending to help