Category: Bonds

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has filed a proposal with the Securities and Exchange Commission to change its fee structure to account for prior year results, a move aimed at ensuring the board maintains sufficient operating revenue and avoids collecting excess cash reserves. The new fee structure will establish a new Annual Rate Card Process…

Municipals were better Wednesday as the smaller primary kicked into gear, while U.S. Treasuries sold off on the front end of the curve and equities ended in the red. Pressure on UST and volatility in equities hit after stronger economic data and continued hawkish Fed speak. “Stocks turned negative as expectations grew that the Fed…

Sacramento-based Sutter Health received an improved outlook to stable from negative by Moody’s Investors Service, reflecting expectations that the health system’s improved financial position will continue. The outlook revision affects $4.5 billion in debt. “The affirmation of the A1 rating and the revision of the outlook reflect our expectation that recent operating improvements will be…

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Municipals were slightly firmer in light trading Tuesday with the asset class ignoring a large selloff in U.S. Treasuries while equities ended the session with losses. Triple-A yield curves saw up to two basis point bumps, continuing to outperform U.S. Treasuries, moving ratios lower again. Muni-to-UST ratios were at 74% in five years, 87% in…

Infrastructure consulting firm InfraStrategies LLC, which provides infrastructure financing advice to a number of major issuers nationwide, has brought on board Emma Huang from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation. Huang follows the firm’s January hire of Joshua Schank, who ran LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, which oversees the agency’s…

Parties in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy asked the judge Wednesday for an extra month to negotiate a debt restructuring deal. The Puerto Rico Oversight Board made the request on behalf of the the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority, National Public Finance Guarantee, Assured Guaranty, Syncora Guarantee, Ad Hoc Group of PREPA…

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed amendments to its Names Rule may not have a direct effect on the municipal bond industry today, though market participants believe it could influence proposals the SEC’s Office of Municipal Securities is considering for the future. The proposal comes days after BNY Mellon was fined $1.5 million by the…

Rising home values are putting the spotlight on property taxes in Texas, where state lawmakers are eying tax relief options for the upcoming legislative session even as previously approved measures are slowing the growth in tax bills. Preliminary residential property values are up an average 24%, according to a Texas Association of Appraisal Districts poll…

The Chicago City Council signed off on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s choice of Bally’s Corporation to hold the city’s first and only casino license, a project billed as central to structurally balancing the city’s books. The council vote of 41-7 came Wednesday several hours of contentious debate during which many members, even some who eventually cast…

Municipals made further gains on Friday, pushing yields down as much as another eight basis points, to close out a seven-day rally, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the end of March 2020 as the market began to rebound from the COVID-19-led turmoil. Triple-A yields have fallen more than half a percentage point…

Two municipal mutual funds managed by Nuveen will again open to new investors next month after a soft closure more than nine months ago, the firm said this week.  Both the reopening and soft closure of the funds were market-related and were decided in the best interest of shareholders, according to Nuveen. Effective June 1,…

Municipals continued their rally Thursday with yields falling by another 12 to 15 basis points while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities rallied. Secondary trading pushed yields lower again. Certain prints showed bonds trading up by more than 65 basis points from Friday’s levels. New York paper, in particular, was rallying in the secondary.…

A Puerto Rico attorney filed a motion charging the Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s local law firm with a conflict of interest related to its representation of four financial firms that acquired a $384 million loan portfolio from an entity under control of the board. Attorney Carlos Lamoutte filed the motion against Puerto Rico law firm…

Not much needs to be said about the impact of rising rates and volatility on the muni market — new  issuance and trading activity have been impacted, and a look into the crystal ball suggests the rest  of 2022 will be more of the same. Add to that the challenges of attracting and retaining talent…

Moody’s Investors Service raised Louisiana’s general obligation bonds and issuer credit rating to Aa2 from Aa3 Wednesday, citing significant progress the state has made restoring its financial reserves and liquidity. Despite a trend that sees a decline in production and a rise in volatility for its gas and oil industries along with unfavorable demographics, the…

Anaheim, California, Mayor Henry Sidhu has resigned amid allegations of corruption involving the city’s sale of Angel Stadium to the Los Angeles Angels Major League Baseball team. Sidhu resigned Monday, effective Tuesday, saying it would allow the city to “move forward without distractions” as the FBI investigates allegations that he provided insider information to the…

A nonprofit Texas-based retirement community operator filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday to deal with its troubled debt and sell its assets. Christian Care Centers, which operates three senior living communities in the Dallas area, has $50.17 million of revenue bonds outstanding and owes $3.11 million in accrued and unpaid interest, according to documents filed…

Municipals strengthened ahead of a light new-issue calendar, while a U.S. Treasury sell-off saw cuts up to nine basis points, and equities ended up. Triple-A benchmark yields were bumped two to seven basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose seven to nine basis points five years and out. As a result, muni-to-UST…

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said policy makers could potentially pause interest-rate increases in September after hiking by a half point at each of their next two meetings. “I have got a baseline view where for me I think a pause in September might make sense,” Bostic told reporters Monday following a…