Bonds

Moody’s Investors Service upgraded New Jersey’s issuer rating and general obligation bonds to A1 from A2 Thursday. The upgrade “incorporates a solid economic recovery, with job gains leading the region and driving employment above the state’s pre-pandemic peak,” Moody’s said. The rating agency said the upgrade is supported by the state’s commitment to full, actuarial

The U.S. Virgin Islands Senate postponed voting on a bill that would address the Water and Power Authority’s debt to its fuel supplier after raising concerns about the islands’ own financial obligations for it and a lack of advance notice of it. . The Senate on Wednesday postponed considering a bill for a letter of

Municipals were firmer Thursday in a relatively quiet trading session as investors waited to see how many nonfarm payroll jobs were added in March. U.S. Treasuries and equities were mixed. The two-year muni-Treasury ratio was at 60%, the three-year at 60%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 64% and the 30-year at 90%, according

The Biden administration has announced it planned to spend $585 million to fix aging water systems in the West, more than half going to California. The funding announced Wednesday during an event at the Imperial Dam on the Colorado River in Yuma, Arizona, will go to 83 projects across 11 states. California will receive $308

The Internal Revenue Service is examining a $338.4 million 2015 bond issuance by the Clark County School District in Nevada and asking questions about federal tax compliance, according to a letter the district received from the IRS that was disclosed on EMMA. According to the disclosure filing, the IRS is asking for copies of specified

The Securities and Exchange Commission has settled with Roberto Mejill-Tellado for his role in acting as an unregistered investment advisor for the City of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where he and six others were accused of defrauding the city of $9 million. In June 2022, Mejill-Tellado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire

Citing “rollbacks in the face of myopic right-wing pushback against responsible fiduciary investing,” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said Wednesday that two of the city’s pension funds have established new plans to reach net zero emissions in their investment portfolios by 2040.  “If the cynical war of political distraction waged by red-state politicians at the

Moody’s Investors Service raised Detroit’s general obligation rating to the highest speculative grade, moving it one notch away from a return to investment grade as it continues its slog back from bankruptcy. Thursday’s one-notch upgrade puts the city’s GO and issuer rating at Ba1 and Moody’s sent another positive sign by continuing to maintain a

Muni yields continued to fall along with U.S. Treasuries Wednesday as weaker-than-expected private payrolls for March led to supportive bond prices and a market rally. Equities ended mixed. California priced its $2.6 billion general obligation deal for institutions with double-digit bumps from Tuesday’s retail offering. Municipal to UST ratios on the short end remain rich.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Municipal Securities has added three new staff members that broadens its coverage in offices throughout the country. Soo Im-Tang has been added as senior counsel out of the Los Angeles regional office; Preston Swapp joins as senior counsel based out of the Chicago regional office and Matthew Turner

Tennessee will turn to tolls and public-private partnerships to meet the mounting costs of managing its roadways. Gov. Bill Lee’s Transportation Modernization Act cleared its last legislative hurdle Thursday as theGeneral Assembly approved his $3.3 billion package allowing for the use of P3s for highways for the first time in the state’s history. “Tennessee is

S&P Global Ratings revised the outlook on Louisiana’s general obligation bonds to positive from stable and affirmed the state’s rating at AA-minus. The rating action comes in connection with Louisiana’s next planned GO sale, the $251.1 million Series 2023-A competitive deal slated for April 13, according to Refinitiv.. “The outlook revision reflects our view of

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board said Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bondholders are making “unreasonable” demands in their discovery in the agency’s bankruptcy. “The bondholders’ approach to discovery in this case has been marked by unreasonable demands and timelines,” the board said through its attorney in a response filed late Friday in the bankruptcy. “The

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bondholders, the bond trustee, and bond insurers asked for certification of their appeal on bondholder liens but there are signals the judge isn’t inclined to grant it. On Friday morning District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain not only rejected considering issues bondholders wanted treated separately, but she also set deadlines

New York State lawmakers look likely to miss the deadline to have a new budget in place before the start of the state’s fiscal year on April 1. Last year the budget was approved a week late. “The governor and Legislature are discussing many important issues as they work to finalize the state budget, but

New Jersey’s wind energy industry is under fire following somemarine mammal deaths that the industry’s opponents blame on the development of offshore platforms along the state’s coastline. On Thursday, protests in Trenton calling for a moratorium on offshore platform development were followed by an announcement by Republican U.S. Representative Van Drew, whose district includes Atlantic

Municipal bonds finished trading little changed Friday as the market rode out the end of the month and the first quarter on a calm note as Treasuries strengthened and stocks surged. While munis came into March like a lamb, they went out like a lioness, calm and proud. The two-year muni-Treasury ratio was at 58%,

March municipal bond issuance dropped 30% year-over-year, as issuers this month dealt with Silicon Valley Bank collapse-induced volatility in the U.S. Treasury market, rising interest rates and an uncertain outcome for Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Total volume for the month was $31.795 billion in 515 issues, down from $45.555 billion in 985 issues a

Walt Disney Co. pushed through changes limiting the powers of the municipal authority that governs its Florida theme parks ahead of a controversial takeover by representatives of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The changes were quietly approved last month by the outgoing board of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the entity that provides fire protection, electricity and

Idaho lawmakers resurrected and reworked a property tax relief bill that Gov. Brad Little vetoed earlier this week, saying the original legislation put a transportation bond sale in jeopardy. Little vetoed House Bill 292 because it re-ordered the priority of statutory claims on sales taxes, putting property tax relief ahead of the state’s Transportation Expansion

Municipals and U.S. Treasuries moved in lock step Thursday with both triple-A benchmark yields and UST yields slightly firmer throughout most of the curve. Equities ended up. The two-year muni-UST ratio was at 58%, the three-year at 59%, the five-year at 61%, the 10-year at 64% and the 30-year at 89%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s