Category: Bonds

  • Proton facilities default on payments

    The Proton Center of Arkansas, one of a series of struggling, bond-financed cancer treatment centers across the country.The Proton Center of Arkansas The new year rang in fresh signs of distress at a pair of long-struggling cancer treatments centers in Maryland and Arkansas financed with bonds through Wisconsin’s conduit issuer the Public Finance Authority. The…

  • California AG settles Medi-Cal/Medicaid fraud case

    Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, announced the $10 million settlement in the fraud case on Thursday.Bloomberg News A former Los Angeles County physician, a non-profit medical center he founded, a laboratory he co-owned, and an executive at these entities have agreed to pay $10 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare…

  • Munis improve ahead of $5B new-issue slate

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21026447/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were firmer Friday ahead of the first full week of the New Year and ahead of a $5 billion-plus new-issue calendar while U.S. Treasuries saw modest losses and equities made gains. Triple-A yields fell up to seven basis points on the one-year, depending on the scale, while UST…

  • Westchester County, New York, has GO deal coming

    Homes in the Westchester County, New York, community of Larchmont.Bloomberg News Westchester County, New York, plans to issue roughly $189 million in general obligation bonds, with Fitch Ratings giving the debt a top-tier AAA rating.  The affluent county on New York City’s northern border, home to suburbs like Scarsdale and Rye, will use the proceeds…

  • A stronger tone to kick off 2025; mutual funds see outflows

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21015256/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals kicked off 2025 with a stronger tone Thursday as investors began to employ January reinvestment dollars while U.S. Treasuries were choppy and closed the session mixed and equities saw losses. Investors pulled more money from municipal bond mutual funds in the final reporting week of 2024, but high-yield…

  • 2024 issuance surpasses $500B, setting new record

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20996667/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Issuance in 2024 surged to a record $500 billion-plus figure, as infrastructure spending needs, election-related concerns and a slew of mega deals led issuers to come to market en masse. The muni market saw a record $507.585 billion of debt issued in 2024, up 31.8% from $385.061 billion in…

  • Trump and Washington mayor look to a more productive future

    “President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term,” said Bowser. ”President Trump and I both want Washington DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation.”     DC.Gov President-elect Donald Trump and Washington,…

  • ‘Extraordinary measures’ to avoid U.S. default to begin mid-January

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, left, said the department would deploy special measures to avoid a borrowing default starting in mid-January while Congress takes up a debate over lifting the debt ceiling. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg The U.S. borrowing cap resumes on midnight Wednesday, bringing with it the risk of a prolonged political impasse that invites market…

  • Munis close 2024 with higher yields, record issuance and vast uncertainty ahead

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20997687/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals had a stronger tone Tuesday as investors closed their books ahead of the New Year holiday while U.S. Treasuries were mixed and equities saw losses for the final session of 2024. While municipals have outperformed USTs on the whole in 2024, they will close December with losses. How…

  • SEC resolves all remaining litigation in Rochester, New York case

    Bloomberg News The SEC announced today that it has resolved all pending litigation in the action filed against the City of Rochester, New York, and the city’s former finance director Rosalind Brooks-Harris, as well as Capital Markets Advisors and two of its principals, Richard Tortora and Richard Ganci.  A U.S. District Court in the Western…

  • Munis slightly firmer, underperform UST

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20989474/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were slightly stronger as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended down. Muni yields were bumped up to four basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell five to nine basis points with the biggest gains 10 years and in. The two-year municipal to UST ratio…

  • Outlook 2025: What will the FOMC do?

    “It’s going to be a tough balancing act,” said Steve Skancke, chief economic advisor at Keel Point. “They want to have full employment, they want to contain inflation, and certainly, certainly, the imposition of tariffs will contribute to inflation, both with the immediate price increase and with the disruption of supply chains.” Monetary policy in…

  • ESG battles flaring in the Midwest

    “You have these woke corporations who are dictating how people should invest,” Indiana Treasurer Daniel Elliott told a local radio station. “You have these folks from New York City and Europe and California dictating how Hoosiers’ investments should be invested. And that’s a problem.”Indiana Treasurer of State The battle over ESG investing is spreading in…

  • Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek pushes out heavy agenda leading into the new year

    Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has been working furiously the past 30 days launching her budget proposal and closing the door on a special session to deal with costs associated with a record-breaking 2024 wildfire season.Oregon Governor’s Office It’s been a busy 30 days for Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. Since Thanksgiving, she has approved legislation drafted…

  • Outlook 2025: future of tax policy causing concern

    “Lawmakers will need enhanced pay-fors, putting a substantial target on the municipal bond tax exemption,” said Tom Kozlik, managing director, head of public policy & municipal strategy for Hilltop Securities.  ”I think there is a 50% or greater chance the municipal bond tax exemption will be significantly curtailed or even completely eliminated in 2025.”  Hilltop Securities Looking…

  • Four-notch drop for a California city’s sewer revenue bonds

    S&P Global Ratings Adobe Stock A sharp decline in debt service coverage helped drive a four-notch downgrade and CreditWatch placement for wastewater revenue bonds issued by Salinas, California. S&P Global Ratings Monday cut the debt to BBB-plus from AA-minus and put the rating on CreditWatch with negative implications. “The downgrade reflects our view of the…

  • Volatile USTs dragging down munis in December

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20962238/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals ignored losses in U.S. Treasuries Friday ahead of another week without new-issue supply to provide direction. Equities saw losses. Triple-A muni yield curves were unchanged while USTs saw losses of up to six basis points while the 10-year UST closed the session above 4.6%. While Friday’s muni session…

  • Texas judge mostly sides with cities in online sales tax rule challenge

    “This ruling protects critical funding that helps us provide public safety, infrastructure and other essential services for our residents,” Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said.City of Round Rock, Texas A Texas judge ruled largely in favor of six cities that sued the state comptroller over a move that would have cost them millions of dollars…

  • Muni mutual funds see another round of $800M-plus outflows

    <img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20953080/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were little changed Thursday along with U.S. Treasuries while equities made gains. Mutual funds saw more outflows while money market funds were back in the black. The market is in a “seasonal winter softness” period where technicals are weak at the moment, said Jeff Timlin, a managing partner…

  • Infrastructure in 2025: optimism tempered by uncertainty

    President-elect Donald Trump, pictured here at the December reopening of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, has pledged to shift the country’s energy and infrastructure priorities.Nathan Laine/Bloomberg The outlook for the public infrastructure market next year is a mix of optimism and uncertainty as municipal market participants look forward to a rush of projects amid threats to…