Bonds

The private partner in a prominent Maryland public-private partnership dropped out Thursday, citing environmental delays, lawsuits, and disagreements with the state, in a move that leaves the fate of the country’s largest P3 in doubt. Australia-based toll road operator Transurban, the lead partner in a consortium known as Accelerate Maryland Partners, said it had submitted

Underwriters completed pricing Thursday of a $3.52 billion Texas securitization deal for natural gas providers, but the bonds may stay in investors’ hands only for a short time. The Texas Senate Finance Committee advanced a supplemental appropriations bill Wednesday that includes money to pay off the bonds and possibly debt incurred by other utilities as

A project to repair a berth at the Port of Camden in New Jersey will receive a boost of support from this fiscal year’s federal omnibus spending bill. U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, a Democrat whose district includes Camden, recently announced an additional $750,000 in federal funds to support work on long-neglected portions of the South

Fitch Ratings upgraded Orlando, Florida’s $166.925 million of Series 2017A senior tourist development tax revenue bonds to BBB from BBB-minus. The outlook on the bonds is stable. The bonds are a limited obligation of the city backed by a senior lien on 50% of the “6th-cent TDT,” which is a one-cent tax on hotel room

Municipals were firmer on the front end of the curve as more billion-dollar deals priced, while Treasuries rallied hard inside 10 years and equities sold off. The potential for a strong employment report, which would amp up belief of a 50-basis-point move by the Federal Open Market Committee later this month, and higher for longer

Fitch Ratings Thursday removed the formerly Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District, Florida, from rating watch negative and assigned a stable rating outlook to its successor entity. The rating agency was satisfied that legislation renaming the special district and putting it under control of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees protects bondholders. It affirmed the newly named Central

Municipals were little changed in secondary trading Wednesday amid an active primary market with two billion-dollar deals priced, although details on one were not immediately available. U.S. Treasury yields were weaker in spots and equities ended mixed. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 59%, the five-year at 61%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year

After a lackluster 2022, the pipeline for public-private partnership deals may fatten this year as federal infrastructure funds flow and the industry develops novel structures to manage risks from inflation and rising interest rates. That’s the top-line view from law firm Husch Blackwell, which Tuesday released its 2023 P3 trends report. Sectors poised for action

The ongoing global regime shift toward higher interest rates and less liquidity will drive significant transformations of business investment and the allocation of resources. Given structural inflation pressures, we expect central banks will be less able to intervene than they historically were when exercising monetary policy to extend expansions and shorten recessions. Disruptions and dislocations

Municipals were a little firmer in spots Tuesday, while equities and short-term U.S. Treasuries sold off after Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell suggested interest rates could be hiked higher than expected to combat inflation. The two-year UST yield rose 13 basis points, pushing it above 5% for the first time since June 2007. The

Two Senate Committees are raising the visibility of the housing shortage in the U.S., and weighing legislative action that could pave the way for more housing bonds. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on Tuesday to explore tax policy as related to the affordable housing supply, and last week the Senate Committee on

The municipality that is home to the American Dream mall in New Jersey is suing its operator, saying it failed to make agreed upon payments in lieu of taxes. East Rutherford’s lawsuit, filed Friday in New Jersey Superior Court, asserts that despite pulling in “hundreds of millions of dollars” in revenue since opening in 2019,

(Bloomberg) –The recent appointment of a prominent Democratic economist to lead the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is fueling friction over political partisanship in the US central bank. Austan Goolsbee became president of the Chicago Fed in January, but only after a contentious hiring process. Bloomberg News reported Feb. 17 that two of the Fed’s

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget and four-year financial plan tackles the city’s post-Chapter 9 pension funding cliff, offers some property tax relief and moves the city closer to fully shedding state oversight, he told the City Council. The city would draw $73 million from its proposed $1.3 billion general fund to make

The New York City Council opened hearings Monday into the preliminary $102.7 billion fiscal 2024 budget with testimony from some of the city’s top financial officials. The 51-member Council focused on the city’s efforts to fill vacant positions across its agencies, and to address union wage demands and hybrid work rules. It is holding a

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s reintroduction of a 2011-era rule proposal to ban conflicts of interest for sponsors of asset-backed securities could have wide implications for conduit borrowers and could raise borrowing and compliance costs for underwriters, municipal advisors and conduit issuers alike. The proposed rule would stop participants involved in securitization transactions from shorting

A plan for the owner of a senior living community in Plano, Texas, to emerge from bankruptcy faces a creditor vote this month, a confirmation hearing in April, and opposition from the trustee for nearly $66.8 million of defaulted revenue bonds. BSPV-Plano, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, filed the Chapter 11 case in the

Transcription: Chip Barnett (00:03):Hi, and welcome to The Bond Buyer. I’m Chip Barnett and my guest today is Ellis Phifer. He’s a managing director and senior strategist in the fixed income research department at Raymond James. He’s been actively involved in the fixed-income markets for over 25 years, split between fixed-income portfolio management and strategy

Unsteady leadership has challenged the financial stability of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, according to a state review of the town’s financial management that was recently made public. High turnover rates in key government positions over the last decade left the Cape Cod town of 4,035 without sustainable revenue streams and in need of fundamental reforms, the Division

The National Federation of Municipal Analysts has named Mark Capell, managing vice president of public finance for Build America Mutual’s West Region as its president for the 2023 year. The first bond insurer to serve as president of NFMA since Bill Hogan of Assured Guaranty’s 2009 term, Capell believes his experience in bond insurance gives

S&P Global Ratings on Friday revised the outlook on Reedy Creek Improvement District, Florida’s general obligation bonds to stable from developing. S&P also affirmed the AA-minus long-term rating on the district’s outstanding GOs, saying the rating reflects the strong tax base, very strong collection rates and consistent financial performance. “The outlook revision reflects recent state