Bonds

Municipals could not ignore broader markets and triple-A scales cut levels by two to three basis points along the curve, but again largely outperformed a major risk-on trade Thursday that moved U.S. Treasuries to trade off double digits while equities boomed. Secondary trading showed weaker prints into the early afternoon. Large blocks of benchmark credits

Making the Municipal Liquidity Facility a permanent emergency lending program would be “valuable and forward thinking” for the Federal Reserve to implement, the president-elect of the National Association of State Treasurers told a congressional panel Thursday. “Set parameters that consider the variety of states’ needs and circumstances,” said Connecticut Treasurer Shawn Wooden, who will succeed

Municipals sat tight again Wednesday as broader markets digested the Federal Open Market Committee leaving interest rates unchanged and noting the tapering process may begin sooner. The news was largely expected and U.S. Treasuries ended the day a touch firmer while equities made up for lost ground though pared back earlier gains. “The biggest news

Adjustments to the hit from COVID-19 are selling points for New York State Thruway Authority officials as they plan for Thursday’s competitive $547 million sale of Series O general revenue bonds. S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service rate the bonds A and A1, respectively, both with stable outlooks. The authority intends to use proceeds

S&P Global Ratings has singled out states’ underfunding of retiree medical benefits as a key credit risk for states. States continued to sharply underfund their OPEB plans and unfunded liabilities ticked upward in fiscal 2020, S&P analysts reported in their annual survey published Monday. During the economic expansion preceding the pandemic, few states pursued and

A National Association of State Treasurers Public Finance Workforce Study released Sept. 21, finds that the public finance sector is diverse and its needs are growing, though it faces a serious challenge attracting talented professionals. “As this sector faces increasing retirements and competition from private sector counterparts, there has never been a better time to

Municipals largely ignored the rally in U.S. Treasuries and a massive selloff in equities as participants await another large new-issue week. Without the primary in play and a mostly muted secondary, triple-A benchmark yield curves were little changed, coming nowhere near the moves in Treasuries as the 10- and 30-year UST fell five and six

The Oklahoma Department of Education is facing the first audit in its history after a funding scandal involving the state’s largest charter school operator. Gov. Kevin Stitt last week ordered the audit of the entire department after a previous audit of the Epic Charter Schools cited misuse of funds, including the application of state funds

Tax law changes and bond provisions included in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package being debated in Washington likely will shift the demand components for and the makeup of the muni market in dramatic ways in the coming decade. The market is closely watching Washington to see whether the proposed tax law changes — higher rates

Rebounding casino and new online gambling tax revenues will give Detroit’s general fund a boost this year and in the coming ones as it tackles looming pension contribution pressures. The city’s estimating conference revised general fund projections for the fiscal 2022 which began July 1 to $1.1 billion from $995 million thanks mostly to $66

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board reiterated its position on pension cuts in the Plan of Adjustment Friday, the biggest source of tension it has with the local government, but was unclear on how willing it was to accommodate the government’s demands. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and many of the legislators have called for zero

Municipals were a touch softer Friday as U.S. Treasuries rose and equities sold off as global concerns over China and COVID were heightened and participants prepared for the FOMC meeting and potential for tapering next week. Triple-A benchmark yields rose a basis point beginning in 2028 while UST were off another three to four on

The Louisiana State Bond Commission this week approved the sale of $50 million in revenue bonds to help the Calcasieu Parish School Board resume work on those schools damaged last year by two hurricanes. Construction has been halted because of delays in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A tree lays on a damaged

California may lose $337 million in rental assistance from the federal government in a use it or lose it scenario, but it’s not likely to have credit ramifications for the state, according to S&P Global Ratings. The California State Auditor’s office released a report Thursday highlighting the problem that included a letter to California Gov.

Puerto Rico’s local government revoked a law the Oversight Board has been considering using to issue restructured bonds without the local government’s support. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi signed Project 959 on Thursday, revoking the 1942 law, which had been used over the years to justify bond refundings. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and the

Municipals were little changed on light trading in the secondary again Wednesday as Illinois and Texas priced bonds in the primary and the Investment Company Institute reported another round of billion-dollar-plus inflows. The Investment Company Institute reported $1.325 billion of inflows for the week ending Sept. 8, following $1.804 billion of inflows the prior week,

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tapped San Antonio, Texas, school superintendent Pedro Martinez — a former Chicago Public Schools fiscal chief — to lead the district as fiscal and governance change looms. Lightfoot introduced Martinez as the new chief executive officer at a news conference Wednesday. Martinez is the first Latino to hold the CEO position

Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner announced his run for governor on Tuesday in front of the under-construction Henry J. Winters Elementary School in Pawtucket. Magaziner, 38 and a Democrat, did so to underscore voter passage in 2018 of a $250 million school building bond that he championed. “I believe the future of our state

The municipal primary was the focus Tuesday with large deals repricing to lower yields while the secondary market took a backseat with benchmark curves little changed even as U.S. Treasuries rallied and stocks sold off. Triple-A benchmarks saw a basis point bump in spots while U.S. Treasury yields fell five basis points on the 10-

With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks still fresh in our minds, Michael Barasch, managing partner at Barasch & McGarry, says less than 8% of the civilians who were in Lower Manhattan that day and the months after have registered for free federal programs offering health care protections and benefits. Municipal bond industry workers