Bonds

A Louisiana congressional committee voted down plans for a $2 billion-plus public-private partnership that would replace an aging toll bridge near Lake Charles, a move that project proponents say will cost the state and provide for few alternatives. In an 8-6 vote on Tuesday, the Louisiana State Legislature’s Joint Transportation Highway and Public Works Committee

Jen Flood will be Michigan’s budget director, replacing Chris Harkins who is leaving the post next month. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday. Flood currently serves as deputy chief of staff, overseeing legislative affairs, federal affairs, policy, appointments, and community engagement divisions within the Democratic governor’s office. Jen Flood, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s current deputy chief

Volatility continues as municipals were slightly weaker in spots Wednesday but outperformed U.S. Treasuries, which saw the greatest losses out long. Equities ended down. Munis were cut up to three basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose up to as much as 14 basis points in 30 years. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio

Municipal budgets are showing resilience which could dampen the need for issuing new debt, even as headwinds have grown to include congressional stalemate that has put the possibility of a government shutdown back on the table.   “A federal shutdown has many ripple effects,” said Farhadi Omeyr, program director, Research and Data, National League of Cities.

Municipals were slightly firmer Tuesday as large deals priced in the primary saw yields lowered upon repricing. U.S. Treasuries were firmer out long and equities rallied. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 71%, the three-year was at 72%, the five-year at 72%, the 10-year at 74% and the 30-year at 91%, according to Refinitiv

Some community colleges in California are learning a hard lesson about free money. The schools signed up to sell municipal securities whose debt service would be entirely covered by the loan and whose principal would be forgiven at maturity. They would never have to write a check. Now at least two schools are facing the

New Jersey’s tax revenues have continued to slide in the new fiscal year, according to recently published figures. The state pulled in $4.8 billion in taxes in September, New Jersey’s Department of the Treasury said in its monthly revenue report, a year-over-year decline of 5.1% for the month and drop of 6.2% for the first

The Power Authority of the State of New York is heading into the municipal bond market next week with a $750.975 million issuance of green bonds. Goldman Sachs as senior manager is set to price the Series 2023A tax-exempt transmission project green revenue bonds on Tuesday after a one-day retail order period. Smart Path Connect is a part

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said the U.S. central bank is close to wrapping up its aggressive tightening campaign if the economy evolves as expected. “Regardless of the decision made at our next meeting, if the economy evolves as anticipated, in my view, we are likely near or at a holding point

Recent Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions signal that regulators are widening their net to charge more types of municipal market participants as so-called gatekeepers against misconduct. So said panelists Thursday at the National Association of Bond Lawyer’s annual conference in Chicago. The SEC’s enforcement division and Public Finance Abuse Unit activities are “reaching all

Federal Reserve policy makers risk slamming the brakes too hard on the economy by reacting aggressively to each data point that comes in, said Mohamed El-Erian, the chief economic adviser at Allianz SE. They should, he said, establish a longer-term vision for where interest-rate policy is heading. “You cannot drive a car without some understanding

Maine is one step closer to realizing ambitions of a native offshore wind energy industry. The federal Bureau of Ocean Management on Thursday announced the findings of a study carried out in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identifying 3.5 million square acres in the Gulf of Maine they believe to be suitable

Municipals took a breather Friday and were little changed ahead of a sizable new-issue calendar while underperforming a better U.S. Treasury market. Equities were in the red to close the session. Triple-A yields barely budged while USTs saw yields fall nine to 11 basis points on bonds in the three- to seven-year maturities and smaller

A California-based company’s plan to sell up to $500 million of tax-exempt environmental improvement revenue bonds through the Indiana Finance Authority to build a garbage-to-jet fuel facility in Gary is on hold after the company’s bonds for a similar plant in Nevada went into default. Pleasanton, California-based Fulcrum BioEnergy sold about $290 million of environmental

Municipals weakened further Thursday as outflows from muni mutual funds lessened, while short-term U.S. Treasury yields fell after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell suggested central bankers could raise rates again, but not at the upcoming meeting. Equities sold off. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 71%, the three-year was at 71%, the five-year at 70%,

Only days after Palm Beach County, Florida, upped its investments in Israel bonds, states, cities and counties around the nation have joined in, bringing the total investments to more than $150 million. New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Arizona and Georgia have joined Florida, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and the city of Miami Beach

Municipals faced more pressure Wednesday and two billion-dollar-plus deals for Connecticut and the New York City Transitional Finance Authority saw yields rise up to 12 to 13 basis points from Tuesday’s retail pricings while the third consecutive week of $2 billion plus outflows were reported. U.S. Treasuries saw more losses and equities sold off. Triple-A

The new bank probe by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of his first major actions since his return to the AG’s office after facing impeachment proceedings earlier this year. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said it’s reviewing whether 10 financial companies, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, violate a Republican-backed state

Amid a busy new-issue day, munis could not help but follow a U.S. Treasury selloff that was led by stronger economic data, reaffirming that rates will remain higher for longer. Equities were down late in the session. “The ‘higher for longer’ interest rate narrative continues to have a significant impact on all fixed income markets,”

Connor Crews has rejoined the McGuireWoods public finance team in Raleigh after teaching for more than three years at the University of North Carolina’s School of Government. Crews will work on all aspects of public finance transactions, including governmental financings and financings for non-profit organizations. During his tenure at UNC, he taught local and state