Bonds

Big spending in Washington D.C.’s downtown is crashing up against a need to hold the line on cutting the city’s budget reserve funds.   “We have to worry about liquidity,” said Glen Lee, the district’s Chief Financial Officer. “And unlike other jurisdictions, we have to deal with the Congress. We are a creature of the Congress

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Municipal issuance surged 31.7% in the first quarter of 2024, rising to $98.245 billion from $74.625 billion in the first quarter of 2023. The increased par amount was achieved in 1,607 deals in Q1 2024, up from 1,397 in Q1 2023. BofA

New York State officials extended the state’s fiscal 2025 budget deadline a second time Thursday as legislators aim to resolve challenges, including education and affordable housing funding, with another new deadline — Monday, April 8. And another deadline extension seems likely, as many lawmakers will be traveling today to see the solar eclipse, including Gov.

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Career moves are heating up as we move through 2024, many linked to Citi’s exit from the municipal bond market in December 2023, and UBS’s exit from the negotiated underwriting business in October. Many firms are now quickly scooping up former Citi

California lawmakers fine-tuned their March budget proposal, cutting spending by $17.3 billion ahead of formal discussions to get a head start on difficult decisions amid a record deficit. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced they reached an agreement Thursday, providing specifics about how they plan to

Following another better-than-expected jobs report, U.S. Treasuries sold off and were volatile throughout the session leading municipals to see a weaker, but more muted tone than their taxable counterparts. Equities rallied. The March employment report sent “the bond market in panic mode over Fed cuts being delayed,” according to Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager/vice president at

Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has dropped plans for a proposed a $2.5 billion municipal bond referendum in November that would have funded infrastructure projects. Instead, the mayor said Thursday she will work to propose an even larger bonding plan that will include money for transit projects. Proceeds from the “305 Future Ready”

The Department of Transportation and Baltimore County have reached an agreement to divert a previously awarded DOT grant to help nearby ports accommodate more cargo following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. That comes along with the announcement Thursday that DOT’s Federal Transit Administration will allocate $20.5 billion to state and local government

In a ceremony watched by thousands of issuers, the White House Thursday unveiled an overhaul of how it sends billions of federal funds to cities, states and nonprofits in an effort to cut red tape, expand the pool of grant recipients and simplify reporting and compliance. “The changes being finalized and announced today are historic

The first quarter of the year saw the highest number of new municipal bond impairments since the Great Recession, according to Municipal Market Analytics, Inc. There were 47 new impairments eclipsing the previous post-Great Recession peak of 44 in 2019, the firm said in its Default Trends report released Wednesday. The first quarter’s impairments “continue

Rising interest rates have already slowed growth in a workforce housing bond program in California, and now efforts by some county assessors to levy possessory interest taxes on the property administrators are having a chilling effect. So far, only Orange and San Diego counties have followed through, while others are contemplating doing so. The program

Chicago priced $229.265 million of second lien wastewater transmission revenue bonds Thursday in a refunding deal that saw spreads tighten from the last time the issuer was in the market. This is the second wastewater deal since the city saw an upgrade in April 2023 when S&P Global Ratings raised the second lien for both

Municipals were little changed Thursday as the primary market saw several large deals price to good demand as investors see current muni yields more enticing after the rise in triple-A curves Tuesday and Wednesday. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer and equities were down near the close. There has been some trepidation from buyers over the

Fitch Ratings’ new U.S. local government rating criteria is expected to lead to changes to about 550 ratings in the next six months. Fitch adopted the new criteria — which will affect cities, counties, school districts, and special districts — after working on the revision since the fall. The criteria will also be used to

The Environmental Protection Agency Thursday announced $20 billion of grants to spur clean energy projects primarily in underserved areas, marking the largest federal investment to date in climate-related projects. The money, divided among eight applicants, marks the official launch of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund created by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction

Municipal issuers, dealer firms, and advisors are concerned about relentless efforts to eliminate the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds to pay for budget deficits.      A recent report published by the American Enterprise Institute makes a case for keeping the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent while adding in some extra provisions in order to boost economic

While a more common feature on corporate bonds and taxable munis, some issuers have priced recent deals with make-whole calls on their short-maturity tax-exempt bonds. So far, the market does not appear to be penalizing issuers. Two mega deals recently priced with make-whole calls for bonds due in 2034 and shorter where the market does

S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook on the University of Arizona’s debt to negative from stable Wednesday, citing the school’s deteriorating finances.  The move came a month after Moody’s Ratings took similar action.  “The negative outlook is based on the anticipation of increased deficit operations and pressured liquidity,” S&P analyst Laura Macdonald said in a

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Peter Shapiro, founder of Swap Financial Group and a former New Jersey legislator and county executive, died at his home in East Orange on March 29 after a long illness. He was 71. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Mr. Shapiro graduated from

In a move to help local schools across Kentucky deal with rising inflation and soaring building costs, the Legislature has passed a bill to let the districts directly issue general obligation bonds. “Construction inflation has created unprecedented infrastructure challenges for our public schools,” said Rep. Michael Meredith, R-District 19, who sponsored the bill. “HB 727

Munis saw a weaker tone Wednesday as muni yields were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, marking a second day of selling pressure, as few deals priced in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer across most of the curve and equities were mixed. “Much like other periods in recent years