Bonds

Chief Economist Dr. Lindsey Piegza will look at the current state of the economy amid the ongoing pandemic and what it means going forward for overall growth, interest rates and monetary policy. She will cover macro-economic trends in consumer spending and investment, in addition to new monetary and fiscal policy initiatives and the potential economic

Municipals were little changed to stronger on the short end as U.S. Treasuries saw losses mount and equities closed out the session in the red. Triple-A yields were mixed to firmer on the short end, depending on the yield curve, while UST ended with the largest losses in the belly of the curve. Municipal to

Municipal yields fell Tuesday by as much as 10 basis points out long while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities rallied. Triple-A yields fell four to 10 basis points across the curve amid robust secondary trading with high-grade names showing clear moves to lower yields. New York City priced $1.35 billion of exempt and

The fate of a planned 16-million-square-foot Georgia factory for electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is in question after a judge denied validation of $15 billion in PILOT bonds planned to back its construction. The Georgia Economic Development Commission, along with the Joint Development Authority for Jasper, Morgan, Newton, and Walton counties and Rivian, negotiated an agreement

The first green municipal bond was issued nearly a decade ago, but the public finance industry — and California in particular — have been working to take it to the next level. California’s Green Bond Market Development Committee plans to produce recommendations next year on both best practices for issuing green bonds and a method

Iowa and Missouri are among the states turning to permanent tax relief measures with coffers swollen with better-than-projected tax collections. States have varied in how they’ve doled out relief, some offering just one-time breaks, like Illinois, and others enacting permanent changes. The latest cuts from Iowa and Missouri come as fiscal clouds loom, with the

Cities and Counties have had to question long-term revenue forecasts that were based on fundamentals that may no longer be present in their post-COVID economies. This uncertainty is particularly unsettling as COVID relief funds are spent down. Issuers, their advisors, and sector professionals will discuss their view of these challenges amidst those of the broader

California water and wastewater issuers count among their challenges the recurrence of drought, fundamental modification to the usage rates and patterns of enterprise services post pandemic, and significant capital requirements from a regulatory and reinvestment perspective. Issuers and other sector experts will explore the unique risks facing water and wastewater agencies and how they are

Citing sustained progress on pension funding and debt reduction, Moody’s Investors Service Friday lifted its rating outlook on New Jersey to positive from stable, while affirming its issuer and general obligation bond ratings at A2. “The positive outlook is supported by the likelihood the state will continue its current practices for managing reserves and long-term

Municipals were little changed Friday to close out a month that saw triple-A yields rise more than three-quarters of a point on the front end, $7.6 billion flow out of mutual funds and issuance fall by 43%. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended in the red after a month of central bank rate hikes,

Baby bond programs aren’t a panacea for generational inequality, but remain a promising tool to chip away at such problems, experts said at an event this week in New York. Tuesday’s event at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “Exploring Baby Bonds as a Tool to Improve Economic Security,” was organized in conjunction with

Jay Goldstone will stay on as a special advisor to the mayor overseeing two massive redevelopment projects after he steps down as San Diego’s interim chief operating officer on Nov. 1. Goldstone, retired from MUFG in January 2020, but stepped up in December 2020 when San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, asked him to

Municipals were slightly weaker in spots Thursday while a more robust primary market provided distraction again as the New York Urban Development Corp. sold $1.4 billion in the competitive market. U.S. Treasuries were weaker 10 years and in, and equities sold off. Outflows from municipal bond mutual funds intensified as investors pulled $3.601 billion out

Anthony Michael Holland, former chief administrative officer and secretary of Johnson City, Texas, has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.175 million in restitution for the embezzlement of state government funds, according to his second amended judgment filed on Sept. 21. Holland pleaded guilty to one count of theft

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain said she would approve a three-pronged approach to advancing the more than five-year-old Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy with a plan confirmation due by June 2023. Swain said there should be litigation on two key issues, the development of a plan of adjustment with several versions, and

Meredith Hathorn will be taking over for Patrick Brett as chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Oct. 1, bringing her nearly forty years of public finance experience to the role. “What I really want to do is highlight the value of being an SRO (self-regulatory organization), and continuing to earn the public trust,” said

Under the oversight of a state review board, the troubled finances of West Haven, Connecticut, are moving in the right direction, according to Moody’s Investors Service, which last week affirmed the city’s Baa3 general obligation bond rating after a two-month review. Financial mismanagement and federal corruption charges have dogged the New Haven suburb, which is

With interest rates on the rise and projects lined up, Michigan plans to tap all $1.9 billion of its remaining borrowing authority under the $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan road program in a sale slated for later this fall. The Michigan Department of Transportation recently named the finance team and tentatively plans to issue the week

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been bouncing around the country making appearances fueling further talk of a presidential run, has signed hundreds of bills ahead of Thursday’s deadline to sign or veto bills the Legislature sent him. The final bill signings also serve as a demarcation of sorts for when the governor moves from

Nuclear power is getting a fresh look as a carbon-free power source, but its history of excessively high costs remains a hurdle to new conventional projects in the U.S.    The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, comprised of 50 municipally owned power systems across six Western states, hopes to change those economics with a first-of-its-kind