Welcome
-
Week kicks off with strong retail demand for new issues
Municipals were steady to start the week while the focus moved to the hefty primary slate as several deals priced bonds for retail to good demand. U.S. Treasuries were slightly weaker and equities closed the session in the black. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 64%, the three-year at 66%, the five-year at 66%,…
-
You can’t always refinance a mortgage to capitalize on lower rates: Here’s when a lender may say ‘no’
The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, on Wednesday, its first rate cut since March 2020. Even before the Fed rate cut, some homeowners had already taken advantage of recent declines in mortgage rates to refinance. Refinance activity increased to 46.7% of total applications during the week…
-
20 largest bond financings of August
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. The top five bond financings in the ranking came in at more than $8 billion. The top 20 bond financings have a cumulative amount of more than $20 billion. Total issuance in August hit a record at nearly $50 billion. Scroll through…
-
Erie County makes pitch to Buffalo Bills fans for stadium deal
The enthusiasm of Buffalo Bills fans is well-known. Erie County wants to see how much that enthusiasm is worth. The county will price $110 million of general obligation bonds for a new Bills stadium this week, with a heavily publicized retail order period. The results will test whether the fans known for pre-game table-smashing contests…
-
Top Wall Street analysts find these stocks promising for the long haul
In this article COST TTWO NFLX Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT The word “Netflix” shines brightly at the presentation of the new season (3) of the Netflix series “Bridgerton” in the Flora. Rolf Vennenbernd | Picture Alliance | Getty Images As the earnings reporting season draws to a close, many companies were able to…
-
The Federal Reserve just cut interest rates by a half point. Here’s what that means for your wallet
Chris Wattie | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will lower its benchmark rate bya half percentage point, or 50 basis points, paving the way for relief from the high borrowing costs that have hit consumers particularly hard. The federal funds rate, which is set by the U.S. central bank, is the interest rate…
-
Muni industry needs to advocate for tax-exemption, NABL panel says
The death knell isn’t ringing for the tax exemption on municipal bonds, according to a panel at the National Association of Bond Lawyers conference, at least not yet — although the panel suggested the industry remind lawmakers of the role bonds play in their communities. The exemption remains an issue as policymakers will need to…
-
In wake of Fed cut, and despite underperforming taxables, muni momentum is positive
Despite the pressure on U.S. Treasuries this week following the Federal Reserve’s 50 basis point rate cut, municipals closed out the week on track to post positive returns for the fourth consecutive month, the first time since 2021. Triple-A municipal yield curves were lightly traded and little changed while Treasuries saw small improvements for the…
-
From mortgages to auto loans, experts weigh in on when — or if — to refinance as interest rates fall
Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve announced a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, interest rate cut at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday. And, naturally, some Americans will want to make the most of the central bank’s first rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic.…
-
Tampa’s sales and utility tax bonds upgraded two notches by Moody’s
Tampa, Florida’s sales and utility tax bonds were upgraded to Aa1 from Aa3 by Moody’s Ratings and the outlook is stable. The upgrade affects Series 2016 and 2020 sales tax refunding and improvement bonds and Series 2012A and C utilities tax and Series 2010A & B utility tax revenue bonds. “That’s great news, and it…
-
Is the shine coming off Saint Starmer?
Your browser does not support playing this file but you can still download the MP3 file to play locally. A growing controversy around Lord Waheed Alli’s donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria risks tarnishing the new government, while propelling the normally discreet Labour donor into the public eye. Lucy Fisher…
-
The economic cloud over the fed’s half-point rate cut
Federal Reserve Board Governor Michelle Bowman.Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg The Federal Reserve cited slower price growth and a softer labor market in its decision to lower interest rates by a half percentage point this week, but one policymaker sees those trends differently. Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman voted against the decision Wednesday, noting that she would have preferred…
-
Britain’s ultra-wealthy are threatening to exit en masse ahead of proposed tax changes
Street scene in Old Bond Street, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom. Pawel Libera | The Image Bank | Getty Images LONDON — Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Dubai. They’re just a few of the destinations trying to lure away the U.K.’s uber wealthy ahead of proposed changes to the country’s divisive non-dom tax regime. Almost two-thirds (63%) of…
-
Munis in their own lane as markets digest Fed cut
Municipals were steady to weaker in spots Thursday, as U.S. Treasury yields rose five years and out and equities rallied. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 64%, the three-year at 66%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 70% and the 30-year at 86%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST read.…
-
Activist investor says Masimo’s Joe Kiani ousted from board
Mercedes-Benz lowered its full-year earnings outlook, blaming the weaker projections on China’s worsening macroeconomic conditions. The company on Thursday said its car division now anticipated the return on sales to be in the range of 7.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent, down from its previous expectation of 10 per cent to 11 per cent.…
-
Muni leaders surprised by aggressive rate cut
A larger than expected federal funds rate cut on Wednesday caught a lot of market experts off guard. “I was surprised by the size of the cut,” said Vikram Rai, head of municipal markets strategy for Wells Fargo. ”I was expecting 25 basis points, but you can rationalize 25 or 50. Muni investors have waited for this,…
-
August home sales drop more than expected, as prices set a new record
Sales of previously owned homes fell 2.5% in August from July, to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 3.86 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That is slightly lower than what analysts expected. Sales were 4.2% lower than August 2023. It marks three straight months of sales below the 4 million mark,…
-
Bank of England holds rates at 5%
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Bank of England has held interest rates at 5 per cent after inflation remained steady in August, but indicated it may lower borrowing costs again as soon as November. The Monetary Policy Committee’s eight-to-one…
-
Empire State Development Corp. brings state sales tax revenue bonds
The Empire State Development Corp. is set to sell $335.7 million of state sales tax revenue bonds on Thursday. The competitive deal is the only sizable offering from a New York state issuer on this week’s calendar, a contrast to the billion-dollar deals the state’s issuers have sold in recent months. It was a week…
-
SEC warns advisors: play by the rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Municipal Securities director Dave Sanchez has a warning for advisors working on municipal market-adjacent deals like public-private partnerships or workforce housing: we’re watching you. Issuers, though not responsible for their municipal advisors, should be proactive in ensuring the firms are playing by the rules, said Sanchez, speaking Tuesday…
Got any book recommendations?