Bonds

Municipal market participants this week laid out their doubts about a data standards law in a blizzard of comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission. A similar refrain came from issuers big and small: the Financial Data Transparency Act of 2022 represents regulatory overreach and an unfunded federal mandate that will especially burden small issuers.

Municipals extended their selloff with the largest losses on the short end amid another busy day in the primary market, led by an upsized JFK Airport Terminal 6 Redevelopment Project deal. U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended mixed. Triple-A yields rose three to 12 basis points, playing some catch up after recent outperformance.

The New York State Capitol Building in Albany. New York has enacted some improved public pension benefits.Bloomberg News A trend of public pension benefit improvements could put credit pressure on states that enact them, Fitch Ratings said this week. Enacted and proposed state measures providing more generous benefits will “lead to higher required contributions and

Municipals were weaker Monday following U.S. Treasury market pressures while equities ended down. Triple-A yields rose up to seven basis points while govies were higher by eight to 12 basis points. Short ratios fell as a result of the day’s moves. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday day was at 61%, the three-year at 61%, the

On Monday, the Department of Transportation announced the winners of $4.2 billion in grants flowing from the Biden Administration’s infrastructure legislative crown jewel.  “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris administration is carrying out ambitious, complex transportation projects that will shape our country’s infrastructure for generations to come,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.  “With

Municipals were little changed Friday ahead of another robust new-issue week while U.S. Treasuries made some gains and equities closed in the black. “Strong September employment numbers and a somewhat higher CPI reading continued to reverberate through the bond market,” said BofA Global Research strategists Yingchen Li and Ian Rogow in a weekly report. “This,

Hyman Grossman, former head of public finance at S&P and longtime industry veteran known for expanding S&P’s public finance analytics team from its early days into the giant it now is, as well as great friend, family man and mentor to many, has passed away at the age of 89. “He was an analyst covering

Broward County, Florida’s Tourism Development Tax, sales tax, and Professional Sports Facilities tax and revenue refunding bonds were upgraded by Moody’s Ratings, affecting about $628 million in bonds. Moody’s upgraded the county’s TDT revenue bonds, Series 2021 (Convention Center Expansion Project) to Aa2 from Aa3; sales tax bonds, Series 2020, to Aaa from Aa1; and

The public private partnership that took over Puerto Rico toll roads out of the territory’s bankruptcy is gearing up to sell municipal debt for the enterprise. The Wisconsin-based Public Finance Authority will be pricing the $286.2 million in senior revenue bonds on behalf of Puerto Rico Tollroads, LLC. Barclays is an underwriter. Fitch Ratings rates

Houston Mayor John Whitmire took aim Thursday at city Controller Chris Hollins for soliciting sponsorships from municipal bond firms for an upcoming investor conference, saying it smacks of pay-to-play and calling for an investigation. The mayor said he received calls from bond underwriting firms about sponsorships for Tuesday’s event with price tags ranging from $10,000

As funding from the American Rescue Plan Act peters out, cites are balancing reserves and issuing new debt while searching for funding streams.  “Our biggest challenge is not the replacement of the ARPA funds, it’s rather how are we going to pay for the future debt, for the amount of infrastructure debt we have facing

A stalwart municipal market veteran, devoted friend, and beloved husband and father, George C. Mulry III, a managing director in public finance marketing at Assured Guaranty, died on Oct. 9. He was 64 years old. Mulry is remembered for the lives he touched and his unimpeachable work ethic. He spent nearly 40 years in the

The case has closed on the yearslong lawsuit leveled by the Securities and Exchange Commission at Rochester, New York, and its former finance director Rosiland Brooks-Harris after a federal District Court Judge in the Western District of New York passed down a final judgment with no monetary penalty and no financial monitor. The c accepted

Municipals were firmer Wednesday as muni mutual funds saw inflows top $2 billion and Pennsylvania led the new-issue calendar with $1.6 million of general obligation bonds in three series. U.S. Treasury yields fell slightly and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Wednesday was at 63%, the three-year at 62%, the five-year at 64%, the

California federal and state lawmakers broke ground for a 750-acre project to restore the Salton Sea that received $250 million from the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly salt lake in Riverside and Imperial counties in southern California near the Mexican border. Funding for a series of projects, including

Municipals were little changed Tuesday as investors await a surge of new issuance to hit the market Wednesday and Thursday. U.S. Treasuries rallied out long and equities ended down. Two weeks into the fourth quarter of the year, munis are posting negative returns in October, down 0.56%, bringing year-to-date returns down to 1.72%, said Jason

A Utah judge voided a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot that raised concerns about future state funding for K-12 public schools. If passed by voters, Amendment A would have provided more flexibility for Utah’s budget by tapping excess income tax revenue currently constitutionally earmarked mainly for public education. Utah Third District

After outperforming the larger weakness in U.S. Treasuries over the past week, municipals played some catch up Friday seeing pressure across the curve ahead of holiday-shortened, but still heavy supply week. Triple-A yields rose two to five basis points while Treasuries were stronger 10-years and in, to close out a week of more mixed economic

James McIntire, who served two terms as Washington state treasurer, died in August. He was 71. The cause was an aggressive and rare form of prostate cancer, his wife, Christina Koons, told the Seattle Times. An economics student and later professor at the University of Washington, McIntire’s first step into government service was as a

Investor demand for bond insurance remained strong during the first three quarters of 2024 as the amount of debt wrapped by bond insurance rose 26.8% year-over-year. Municipal bond insurers wrapped $28.921 billion in the first three quarters 2024, an increase from the $22.814 billion insured in the first three quarters of 2023, according to LSEG

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Remembered for his positive and cheerful attitude and willingness to pitch in wherever needed, retired Bond Buyer reporter and municipal market fixture Harold “Chip” Walter George Barnett, Jr. died on Monday. He was 67. Barnett suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, “a disease related