Category: Bonds

Detroit is asking the bankruptcy court to require that its police and firefighters retirement system stick with a 30-year amortization period agreed to in the city’s plan of adjustment that paved the way for its Chapter 9 exit in 2014. The city’s Police and Fire Retirement System threw a wrench in the city’s post-bankruptcy COVID-19…

It was a steady start to the week, with municipal triple-A yield curves little changed, U.S. Treasuries took a break from last week’s volatility to close out firmer across the curve while equities were mixed. Muni-UST ratios on Monday were at 61% in five years, 81% in 10 years and 97% in 30 years, according…

A surge in the use of alternative trading systems in the municipal bond market through the first half of 2022 punctuated the growing prevalence of such platforms among dealers and other market participants in recent years, according to data published in a recent MSRB report. The number of customer transactions completed through ATSs jumped from…

The indictment of former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez on bribery charges damages the reputation of her political party, according to some analysts, but since her party is the only one advocating statehood for the island, the pain may be limited. Still, the arrest should have no impact on how long the Puerto Rico Oversight…

A budget impasse that’s left Trenton, New Jersey, without an approved budget well into the new fiscal year continues, despite a recent brush with default. Beset by political rivalries, the state capital’s seven-member City Council, which must approve annual spending according to local law, has as of yet failed to produce the majority vote necessary…

The Ontario City Council approved a sales tax measure Tuesday for the November 8 ballot to fund $1.2 billion of infrastructure projects, and other local governments in California are expected to take similar steps. The November midterms are expected to be particularly popular this year for tax and bond measures among cities, counties and school…

Municipals sold off Friday with the front end of the curve being hit the hardest, though damage was felt across the curve. Triple-A benchmarks outperformed a U.S. Treasury rout where yields rose double-digits, and equities were down near the close. Nearly all triple-A benchmark yields were cut six to 10 basis points and UST yields…

Retired Wisconsin Capital Finance Director Frank Hoadley — who left an influential mark on the public finance industry as a champion of issuer advocacy and best marketplace practices — died unexpectedly this week. He was 77. Hoadley was traveling with his wife, Elizabeth, in Scotland when he died. “Frank Hoadley was a giant among the…

An Oklahoma regulatory official, who has raised concerns about the impact of the state’s first utility securitization bond sale on ratepayers, on Thursday called for an independent assessment of the pricing as three other deals are pending. Bob Anthony, one of three commissioners at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), continued to question the July 8…

The Federal Reserve is committed to cooling inflation and needs to raise interest rates to a little above 4% to ease demand, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester said. “We’re committed to getting inflation down” to the 2% target, which will require more rate increases, Mester said during an event hosted by the Economic…

New York State is facing lower revenues and bigger budget gaps as the national economy takes a turn for the worse, according to the latest update released by the state Division of the Budget. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first quarterly update to the fiscal 2023 enacted budget shows the national economic downturn has started to…

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain approved the extension of mediation discussions for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for the fourth time this year. Swain ordered the mediation to continue to at least Aug. 15, with the mediation team being given the authority to extend the mediation deadline until Sept. 9. In late…

Federal Reserve leaders pledged the central bank would continue an aggressive fight to cool an inflation rate that’s at a four-decade high, even if higher rates cause the risk of recession. St. Louis Fed Bank President James Bullard said he favors a strategy of “front-loading” big interest-rate hikes, and he wants to end the year…

Federal Reserve officials said they want strong evidence that the hottest inflation in four decades is on a sustainable downward path before declaring victory in their fight against it. With consumer prices rising 9.1% in June from a year earlier, the Fed has “a long way to go” on reaching price stability around a 2%…

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has launched a high-profile utility and microgrid project in a bid to transform a legacy of heavy manufacturing into a high-tech, climate-friendly economy that attracts advanced manufacturers. The plan, which features a public utility and a series of microgrid districts, will likely be structured as a public-private partnership. The county “was thrilled”…

Municipals were mostly firmer to kick off August, while U.S. Treasuries rallied out long and equities were in the red near the close. Muni-UST ratios on Monday were at 67% in five years, 84% in 10 years and 98% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the five…

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said the central bank is committed to doing what’s necessary to bring down demand in order to reach policy makers’ 2% long-term inflation goal, a target that remains far off. “We are committed to bringing inflation down and we’re going to do what we need to do,”…

New York City’s issuance of $22 million of special obligation revenue-backed bonds next week is just the latest in a series of deals that local officials hope will help address the future educational needs of a growing and increasingly youthful urban population. The bonds are slated to be priced by Robert W. Baird & Co.…

Minnesota has a trio of triple-A general obligation ratings after Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the state to Aaa from Aa1 on Thursday. The rating agency cited the state’s financial condition, governance, and “high degree” of flexibility to raise revenue and adjust spending for the upgrade, which comes ahead of an approximately $591.5 million new money…

The Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority filed an objection to the Highways and Transportation Authority Plan of Adjustment Thursday, saying it is illegal. FAFAA, a government body, objected to the Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s HTA plan of adjustment submitted to bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain. While the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and…