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  • How Netanyahu is ‘running rings’ around Biden

    After Bill Clinton’s first official meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996, he turned to an aide and said: “Who is the fucking superpower here?” Four US presidents later, nobody would think of posing that question about Israel’s pugilistic prime minister. Netanyahu long ago established what military analysts call “escalation dominance” over whoever sits in the…

  • Mortgage rates spike after stronger-than-expected jobs report

    The average rate on the 30-year-fixed mortgage jumped 27 basis points Friday morning following the release of the government’s monthly employment report. The rate is now 6.53%, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is 42 basis points higher than Sept. 17, the day before the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate by half a percentage…

  • Public finance pros to meet next generation at Harris School event

    The next generation of public policymakers and public finance practitioners will mingle with current municipal finance pros at a career forum hosted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy’s Center for Municipal Finance. During the week of Oct. 14, the CMF will hold lunchtime seminars designed to help interested students get the…

  • Israeli air strikes shake Beirut in expanding campaign against Hizbollah

    Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Israel’s military conducted multiple heavy air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight, in one of the most violent air raids on the Lebanese capital in Israel’s intensifying campaign against armed group Hizbollah. Residents across Beirut…

  • As reinvestment dollars flow, mutual funds see inflows of $1.9B

    Municipals faced some pressure Thursday as U.S. Treasuries saw losses amid geopolitical uncertainty and mixed macroeconomic data ahead of Friday’s payrolls figure while equities were off near the close. The last large new-issues priced in the primary and secondary trading pointed to some weakness, leading to small cuts to triple-A yield curves.  Municipal bond mutual…

  • Oil surges after Biden comments on Israeli retaliation

    Keep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world. Stay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert commentary and analysis you can trust. Subscribe to unlock this article Try unlimited access Only 1 € for 4 weeks Then 69 € per month New customers only Cancel anytime during your…

  • UK house sales rise since the Covid-19 boom as lower mortgage rates spur activity

    A pedestrians looks at residential properties displayed for sale in the window of an estate agents’ in Windsor, west of London. Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty Images LONDON — Lower mortgage rates are sparking an uptick in the U.K. housing market, following a surge in the pace of home sales last month, data showed.…

  • In a heavy new-issue market, specialty states, HY see oversubscriptions

    Amid an onslaught of outsized new issuance, many deals have been oversubscribed as buyers clamor for paper, particularly in the high-yield space and from specialty states. “It’s been a bit of a fight for deals that come to the primary market,” said Jon Mondillo, global head of Fixed Income at abrdn. Despite issuance up 35.2%…

  • Primary the focus; retail engaged as mutual fund inflows continue

    Municipals were a touch softer Wednesday, but outperformed U.S. Treasury weakness as investors focused on the primary market with several large new-issues pricing to solid demand. Equities were in the black to close the session. Triple-A yield curves were little changed to weaker by one to four basis points, depending on the curve, while Treasuries…

  • Recursion gets FDA approval to begin phase 1 trials of AI-discovered cancer treatment

    In this article RXRX Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Source: Recursion Pharmaceuticals AI drug pioneer Recursion Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday that one of its experimental treatments hit a key milestone. Recursion was able to use its artificial intelligence-enabled drug discovery platform to identify an area of biology to target for the treatment of solid tumors…

  • Red-hot refinance demand retreats after tiny bump higher in mortgage rates

    Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Mortgage rates moved ever so slightly higher last week, but it was enough to take a little heat out of what had been a briefly red-hot refinance market. That caused total mortgage application volume to fall 1.3% for the week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.…

  • Transit-oriented development part of Harris’ affordable housing plan

    As affordable housing has stepped into the spotlight in the presidential election, including during Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris is touting transit-oriented development as a way to increase housing in urban areas. “Some of the work is going to be through what we do in terms of giving benefits and assistance to state…

  • Susan Reed joins Crews & Associates as managing director

    In her new role as Indianapolis-based managing director at Crews & Associates, Susan Reed aims to bring both creative ideas and a deep well of experience to bear on the challenges facing Indiana issuers. Reed, who has worked as a bond attorney and a municipal advisor and has served in a community and economic development…

  • Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger to retire at end of 2024, Rick Wurster to replace him

    In this article SCHW Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Walter “Walt” Bettinger, president and chief executive officer of Charles Schwab Corp., speaks during the 2015 Fortune Global Forum in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger is retiring from…

  • Real estate fees settlement created ‘a new competitive ballgame,’ expert says. Here’s what buyers, sellers need to know

    Azmanl | E+ | Getty Images New rules on buying and selling homes are in play, now that a settlement from a class-action lawsuit has taken effect. In March, the National Association of Realtors agreed to a $418 million settlement in an antitrust lawsuit where a federal jury found the organization and several large real-estate…

  • A major muni buying opportunity

    Transcription: Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio for the authoritative record. Mike Scarchilli (00:03): Hi everyone and welcome to The Bond Buyer Podcast, your essential resource for insights into everything municipal finance. I’m Mike Scarchilli, Editor-in-Chief of The Bond…

  • September closes in the black; primary in focus as Q4 begins

    Municipals saw some weakness up front while U.S. Treasuries saw losses across the curve after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled the Fed’s rate-cutting schedule was not yet certain as the U.S. economy remains strong. Equities closed in the black. USTs saw the largest losses on the short-end, with yields rising up to 7 basis…

  • China stocks just had their best day in 16 years, sending related U.S. ETFs soaring

    A shareholder at a securities hall in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in east China, on Sept. 24, 2024. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images China stocks rallied to their best day in 16 years, with related U.S. ETFs also soaring after recent economic stimulus buoyed investor optimism in the market. The Shanghai…

  • States forge ahead with Inflation Reduction Act energy rebates — so far, South Dakota is the only one to opt out

    Owngarden | Moment | Getty Images A handful of states have rolled out rebates to consumers who make their homes more energy-efficient, just months after New York became the first state to do so, in May. Meanwhile, South Dakota officials in August declined the federal funding, which is tied to two new programs created by…

  • Muni lobbyists hire UChicago to create first-of-its-kind bond data

    Municipal market advocates have tapped the University of Chicago’s Center for Municipal Finance to create first-of-its-kind municipal bond data that advocates hope to use to showcase the usefulness of tax-exempt bonds next year as the market’s cherished tax exemption faces an existential threat. The center will drill down to the congressional district level to examine…

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