Bonds

Short-end munis extended their days long selloff, continuing to play catch up to short-end U.S. Treasuries, as triple-A munis correct from recent outperformance relative to taxables. USTs were firmer, while equities were up near the close. Triple-A benchmarks rose 11 to 15 basis points on the one-year and three to eight basis points in two

Vern Breland, the former mayor of Sterlington, Louisiana, responded Friday to fraud charges leveled by the Securities and Exchange Commission by denying any wrongdoing. Breland, the Texas-based municipal advisory firm Twin Spires Financial, and Aaron Fletcher, owner of Twin Spires, were charged with fraud in June in connection with the sale of some $5.8 million

Infrastructure projects delivered as public-private partnerships have so far been protected from punishing construction cost increases because the contractors are legally on the hook for cost overruns and have been healthy enough to absorb the blows. But inflation, coupled with material and labor shortages, are prompting some contractors to exit the space, and accelerating a

Municipal bond issuance in the Southwest shrank in the first half of 2022, while in Texas some big Wall Street banks dropped out of the top underwriter rankings in the wake of two state laws restricting access to government contracts. In the first six months, municipal bond issuers in the eight-state region sold $40.8 billion

Miami-Dade County, Florida, is getting set to sell almost $480 million of revenue bonds this week to fund some of its transit infrastructure needs. The $479.735 million of Series 2022 transit system sales surtax revenue bonds will go out for bids at 10:30 a.m., ET, on Tuesday. PFM Financial Advisors is the financial advisor. Squire

While the amount of debt wrapped by bond insurance fell 6.5% in the first half of the year, the percentage of insured debt gained compared to the first half of 2021. All municipal bond insurers wrapped $18.306 billion in the first half of 2022, a decrease from the $20.842 billion insured in the first six

In a period where all other municipal bond sectors shrank in volume, electric power and healthcare expanded strongly in the first half. Electric power bond volume increased 49.9% and healthcare grew 26.9% compared to the first half of 2021. Overall municipal volume was down 11.2% in the first half. All data is from Refinitiv and

Heavy competition for a significantly lower volume of municipal bonds drove a sharp decline in overall underwriting spreads to $3.54 in the first half of 2022, the lowest level in 20 years. The latest data from Refinitiv representing the first six months of 2022 underscores what has been a steady and developing trend over the

Throughout the first half of the year, supply has fallen below market participants’ expectations, with the drop in issuance being driven by rising interest rates that have stymied refunding and taxable volumes. Continued market volatility, inflation hitting decade highs, and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s policy decisions kept issuers on the sidelines. Total volume in

The U.S. House of Representatives Friday sent President Joe Biden a long-debated climate, tax and healthcare bill. The legislation passed with a vote of 220 to 207 along party lines. Biden’s signature will mark the final chapter for an 18-month-long saga marked by intense negotiations among Democrats, who used a parliamentary procedure called reconciliation to

Short-end munis sold off Friday as pressure from two-year U.S. Treasury yields as well as rising floating-rate muni yields have begun to hit the triple-A yield curves. Treasuries were better five years and out while equities rallied to close out the week. Triple-A curves saw yields rise by as much as eight to 10 basis

California lawmakers’ focus on one-time spending in the budget approved July 1 keeps the state on track for a potential rating upgrade one year out from receiving a positive outlook from S&P, but challenges remain. The state’s fiscal 2023 adopted budget “projects long-term structural balance through fiscal 2026, despite a projected multibillion dollar rise and

The federal infrastructure package will boost Illinois’ six-year transportation spending by $4 billion, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday. The state will spend an overall $24.6 billion under the six-year program for roads and bridges with $3.7 billion in spending during the current fiscal year. About $18.8 billion goes to roads with the remainder spent on

Smaller-sized cities and towns worried they won’t be able to snag a piece of the infrastructure dollars unleashed in the new federal law have until the end of the month to apply for a first-of-its-kind program aimed at boosting their chances. The “specialized training boot camps” led by the National League of Cities will help

With the plan of adjustment hearing for the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority less than a week away, arguments remain over five legal objections to the plan. Insured bondholders, Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority, HTA wage earners, an insurance company, and a dairy are challenging the plan.  The plan of adjustment

After nearly thirty years at the Securities and Exchange Commission in various roles, Lori Price has been promoted to director of the Office of Credit Ratings. She’ll begin the new role Aug. 14. The OCR is responsible for oversight of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and conducts exams, develops and administers rules and maintains standards.

Municipal bond issuance in the Northeast slumped by 18.3% year-over-year for the first half of 2022 as taxable sales plunged more than 60%, according to data compiled by Refinitiv. The region’s issuers sold $49.69 billion of municipal bonds in 870 issues, after selling $60.78 billion in 1,234 issues during the first half of 2021. The

Fresh off a ratings upgrade, Erie County, New York, will be in the market during the upcoming week with a small but significant deal. FHN Financial Capital Markets is set to price the county’s $29.675 million of Series 2022 general obligation bonds on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The deal consists of $28.525 million of Series 2022A

If all goes according to plan, municipal markets will see the largest ESG bond pricing ever next week as Massachusetts prepares to issue $2.7 billion of taxable business-tax backed special obligation revenue bonds. The sale of the socially designated bonds was delayed in July as state lawmakers debated a last-minute spending bill that would allocate

Municipals were weaker on the short end and mutual fund outflows returned Thursday while U.S. Treasuries saw losses across the curve and equities ended mixed. Triple-A curves saw yields rise as much as five basis points on the one-year while leaving yields a basis point weaker to little changed along the rest of the curve

The states are flush with cash thanks to trillions of dollars of federal rescue funds, leading Fitch Ratings analysts to predict an explosion of infrastructure projects with a focus on water and sewer undertakings. Fitch analysts discussed their recently released, “U.S. States Budgets Balanced in 2023” report during a Wednesday webinar. The discussion revealed fifty