Category: Bonds

Eleven U.S. sites were chosen Thursday to host some of World Cup soccer matches in 2026, an event that could add millions of dollars to a municipality’s coffers. FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, said Miami-Dade County, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston and the New York-New Jersey area were among the 11 U.S. locations chosen to…

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George said she opposed the Fed’s biggest interest-rate increase in almost three decades because the move, combined with the shrinking of the central bank’s balance sheet, created uncertainty about the outlook. “The speed with which we adjust the policy rate is important,” George said in a statement…

The Federal Reserve said it would do what is needed to get prices under control, reiterating that price stability is necessary to support a strong labor market and calling its commitment to reining in inflation “unconditional.” “The committee is acutely aware that high inflation imposes significant hardship, especially on those least able to meet the…

Texas is getting closer to producing a list of financial companies that it deems to be boycotting energy businesses — a move that could further diminish the number of big banks eligible to underwrite municipal bonds in the state. The looming list and a law barring banks that “discriminate” against the firearm industry from deals…

The acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America and financial weaknesses over the past two years have resulted in City of Hope, the Los Angeles region’s world-renowned research and cancer treatment center, receiving a one-notch downgrade to A2 by Moody’s Investors Service. The downgrade to A2 from A1 affects $2 billion in long-term debt issued…

Municipals were little changed Friday after being swept along in a selling rampage at the start of the week, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities were in the black. Muni-to-UST ratios rose, with the 30-year topping 100% for the first time since late May. Ratios were at 71% in five years, 90% in 10…

Chicago-based Loop Capital Markets LLC has hired two senior transportation and housing sector managers away from Wall Street competitors and put more banking boots on the ground in Texas with three recent hires. Ira Smelkinson started in the minority-owned firm’s New York office June 1 as a managing director and head of a now-four member…

Municipals were little changed on the day while other markets continued to react to the Fed rate hike as U.S. Treasuries were stronger and equities sold off. Refinitiv Lipper reported $5.6 billion of outflows, the highest figure of outflows in 2022, as Monday’s massive selloff contributed to more losses for municipals. That figure is up…

Municipals took a backseat as the Federal Open Market Committee announced its decision to implement a three-quarter point rate hike while U.S. Treasuries rallied into late afternoon following the news. Equities rallied. The move, prompted partly by hotter-than-expected inflation data Friday, is the largest rate hike since 1994. “Investors appear encouraged that the FOMC is…

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi on Tuesday ordered a 45-day moratorium on a diesel and gasoline tax, which could trim $25 million that would normally go to the general fund. “With this measure we seek to relieve the people and the economic impact on our families due to the increase in fuel prices as a…

Municipals were weaker amid larger losses in U.S. Treasuries while equities ended mixed as markets were quieter ahead of the FOMC rate-hike decision Wednesday. Triple-A benchmark yields were cut five to eight basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs rose six to 11 basis points. Muni-to-UST ratios were at 66% in five years, 84%…

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the City of Rochester, New York, the Rochester City School District’s former finance director and the city’s former chief financial officer with misleading investors and providing outdated financial statements in connection with a $119 million bond offering in 2019. The Commission also charged municipal advisory firm Capital Markets…

Following a spate of cyberattacks against local government institutions in New Jersey this year, Democratic Assemblymember Shama Haider introduced legislation on May 16 to strengthen the state’s local capabilities.  Less than a month later, her own hometown of Tenafly faced a cyberattack after teachers accidentally discovered a ransomware attack in progress last week while working…

Municipals were hit hard Monday with a quarter-point selloff as munis could not ignore the continued U.S. Treasury selloff and the start of a bear market for equities as inflation-led recession fears grow. Municipals saw cuts up to 25 basis points, though some particular secondary prints pointed to larger losses. This is the largest one-day…

Fresh off two rating upgrades, Nassau County, New York, is heading into the market with a competitive sale of $241 million of Series 2022A tax-exempt general obligation improvement bonds. Both Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings raised their ratings on the county’s bonds ahead of Tuesday’s sale. Moody’s raised its rating on the county’s…

Market participants are revising their supply projections downward as rising interest rates have stymied refunding and taxable volumes and overall market volatility has held some issuers to the sidelines.  The pace of issuance so far in 2022 makes it less likely the market will hit previous records seen in 2020 and 2021. BofA Securities was…

The Biden administration this week released proposed rules for its electric vehicle charging station network program, with states facing a tight summer deadline to submit plans to secure a piece of the funds. The proposed rules mark a key step in the development of the $7.5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, one of the…

A deposit this week into Illinois’ once barren rainy day fund brought it to $751 million with plans to bring it in the next fiscal year up to $1 billion, a level not seen before but one that still falls short of other states. Prior deposits earlier this year brought the account up to about…

New York City has an early budget for the new fiscal year, one that totals a record high $101 billion for fiscal 2023 and includes a record level of $8.3 billion in reserves. At a City Hall press conference Friday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan announced…

Municipals saw yields rise across the curve, with the largest losses out long to end the week, while a higher-than-expected inflation report led to a massive U.S. Treasury selloff on the front of the curve and sent equities tumbling. With Friday’s Consumer Price Index report, the “prospects for a quick slowdown in the rate of…