Category: Bonds

The White House is rejecting Republican demands to split up its nominees to the Federal Reserve, with President Biden’s spokeswoman telling GOP lawmakers to show up and vote no on Sarah Bloom Raskin rather than further stalling consideration. “All five of our nominees, including Sarah Bloom Raskin, are well qualified for these positions and we’re…

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators continued their campaign to advance the Biden administration’s Federal Reserve nominees out of the Senate Banking Committee, while Republicans argued the central bank is operating just fine without them. Amid testimony Thursday morning from Jerome Powell, chair pro tempore of the Federal Reserve, Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee assailed their…

Another day of losses for municipals on Thursday as U.S. Treasuries fluctuated throughout the session, equities were back in the red while another round of outflows were reported from municipal bond mutual funds. Triple-A yield curves saw three to seven basis point cuts, with the larger losses out long, while UST reversed earlier losses to…

Municipals saw small cuts to triple-A yield curves, outperforming large losses in U.S. Treasuries, while equities rebounded from two days of large losses after Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress a 25-basis point hike is likely this month. Triple-A yields rose one to three basis points across yield curves while UST saw yields rise 17…

Oppenheimer & Co. launched a municipal restructuring group Wednesday in response to a rise in high-yield municipal bond defaults as more transactions show impairments. The 18-member group will be headed by Eric Scroggins, co-head of debt advisory and restructuring, and Bill Reisner, head of public finance investment banking. Depending on the deal, the group can…

State and local officials defended their use of stimulus funds against Republican claims that the money has done more to stimulate inflation than the economy during a House oversight hearing on Tuesday. “Roughly one year into the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan injected a burst of resources into the national economy at a critical time,”…

Municipals improved on Tuesday as the U.S. Treasury flight-to-safety bid continued and equities sold off on the escalating turmoil in the Ukraine. Municipal yields fell three to six basis points across triple-A yield curves while five- and 10-year USTs saw yields fall 14 and 11 basis points, respectively. Municipal to UST ratios rose as a…

Municipals were flat to firmer in spots, underperforming the U.S. Treasury flight-to-safety rally while stocks ended mixed after much larger losses throughout the day in dramatic swings on continued war in Ukraine. Triple-A benchmarks were little changed to bumped by a basis point or two while UST rallied 10 to 15 basis points with the…

If Russian hackers target the U.S. as retribution for economic sanctions prompted by its invasion of Ukraine, it could mean more harmful and longer-term cyberattacks than the public sector has experienced previously. “We remain concerned about the potential for cyberattacks on U.S. public finance related targets such as utilities, infrastructure and state and local governments,”…

Municipal bond issuers in the Northeast sold $115 billion of debt in 2,261 deals during 2021, an 11.7% volume decline from 2020, according to Refinitiv data. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York was the top issuer in both the region and in the nation last year. In 2021, DASNY issued $7.86 billion…

Fitch Ratings on Friday revised Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s outlook to stable from negative and affirmed its AA-minus rating ahead of an upcoming general obligation bond deal. Fitch said the revision reflects its expectation “the city will maintain stable financial performance, gradually rebuilding reserves after a large draw on fund balance in 2020 that resulted from pandemic…

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board on Friday rejected the possibility of renegotiating the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority debt deal with the local government and also filed an objection in the PREPA bankruptcy to bondholders’ motion to compel mediation. In a press conference following the board’s public meeting, Board President David Skeel said, “There are…

The new Illinois fund set up to manage the assets of suburban Chicago and downstate police pension funds would get an extra year to complete the consolidation under legislation being pursued by the fund that says it can’t meet a June 30 deadline. The Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund told lawmakers during a committee…

Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin gave a “still needs improvement” rating to the city’s efforts to put a $1.2 billion bond authorization for affordable housing to work. The city spent $870,000 per unit on one project and if it doesn’t rein in costs, the per unit price could soar to $900,000 or $1 million, Galperin…

Municipal triple-A yields rose three to four basis points on Friday, losing up to half the gains they made Thursday, as U.S. Treasuries saw losses throughout the day but ended flat. Equities rallied hard after the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia and the U.S. indicated it would follow suit. Municipals had a hard time…

Nevada has doubled down on housing efforts with a $500 million “Home Means Nevada” initiative and the dedication of the majority of its private activity bond authority to affordable housing. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced plans to tap federal funds for the housing initiative during an off-cycle State of the State speech delivered Wednesday at…

Municipals rallied Thursday on a flight-to-safety bid after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, outperforming U.S. Treasuries while equities reversed major losses to end in the black. Triple-A yields were bumped from five to 10 basis points across the curves, while UST yields saw earlier double-digit gains fall to single digit basis points at the close. The…

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board approved a budget amendment that includes more than $9 billion for bond payments after efforts by legislators failed to pass the debt payments required by the bankruptcy court-approved Plan of Adjustment. The board on Monday approved a $23.5 billion General Fund budget for the current fiscal year, with $12.5 billion…

Municipals were mixed Wednesday even as U.S. Treasuries and equities sold off amid intensifying tensions over the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Municipal triple-A yields were unchanged on the Refinitiv MMD scale while experiencing up to two basis point cuts outside 10 years on ICE Data Services’ curve and two basis point bumps inside of 5 years on…

Municipals were mixed on Tuesday with U.S. Treasuries providing little guidance while equities sold off on increasing concerns over Ukraine and Russia. Municipal triple-A yields were unchanged on Refinitiv MMD and Bloomberg BVAL scales while experiencing up to three basis point bumps on the long end of ICE Data Services’ curve and two basis point…