Bonds

The U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature complained about the governor’s lack of consultation before he declared a state of emergency to pay off Water and Power Authority debts. The legislature gathered Tuesday to express its concerns about Gov. Albert Bryan’s Monday action, which used the emergency declaration to authorize spending the government’s rainy-day funds for WAPA

The push to allow tax-exempt bonds for spaceport infrastructure received renewed attention last week at a House subcommittee roundtable on the U.S. space race with China. “If you’re asking a private company that launches rockets to space, if you’re asking them to build the spaceport, it’s like asking American Airlines to build the airport,” Jim

Municipals were slightly weaker in secondary trading Wednesday as the Los Angeles Unified School District’s nearly $3 billion pricing for institutions took focus. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended mixed. Munis started the second quarter in “excellent shape,” as credit spreads are in fair value range, and muni-UST ratios start to cheapen, said GW&K

The California Supreme Court has granted review of a case challenging retirement reforms state lawmakers approved 11 years ago, marking a return of pension spiking questions to the high court for the first time since a 2020 ruling on an Alameda County case. The new case — Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association v. Criminal Justice

The recent slew of prepaid energy bond issues in the Southeast continues to revive interest in the sector as demand remains strong for the tax-exempt paper. In a prepaid natural gas deal, public utilities secure a long-term supply of natural gas at a discounted rate. A conduit issuer, typically a special-purpose entity, sells these bonds.

In a first-of-its-kind transaction, the city of Quincy, Massachusetts, issued $10 million of tax-exempt bonds using blockchain technology, taking the first step in what those involved in the transaction say could be a transformation of the municipal bond market. “The city of Quincy has invested in its innovation economy over the past number of years

The Mayo Clinic has ambitious plans that start at home. When the Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit healthcare system updated its five-year plan last year, it said the move was part of a “strategy to transform healthcare globally.” The update reflected changes from a $5 billion expansion of Mayo’s flagship Rochester campus.  Mayo’s board of trustees approved

Brightline, Florida’s privately owned passenger train, hit the tax-exempt market Thursday, after weeks of marketing, with more than $3.1 billion of low-investment grade and unrated bonds, some of which carried yields as high as 12%. The company enjoyed strong demand for all the paper, which was more than two times oversubscribed and saw more than

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday vetoed tax cut legislation that she called “too expensive” and offered lawmakers a less-costly alternative. The Democratic governor, who in January vetoed a previous tax reduction bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislation, said the latest measure “jeopardizes our state’s future fiscal stability.”    House Bill 2036, which cleared the House

Municipals saw losses Thursday following U.S. Treasuries to higher yields, while equities sold off after GDP growth slowed in the first quarter. While growth slowed, inflation was hotter, said ING Chief International Economist James Knightley, as the core PCE deflator rose 3.7% on an annualized basis, three-tenths of a point higher than expected. “Unsurprisingly Treasury yields

Ryan Hallam, who spent nearly three decades at Citi, has been hired as a managing director and co-head of high-yield trading on Piper Sandler’s fixed-income team. Hallam will handle high-yield muni sales and trading, focusing on large institutional accounts. “As we look to grow our market share in the municipal industry, Ryan’s tremendous experience and

While a move to raise New York City’s borrowing capacity by $12 billion is reasonable and sufficient for the city to meet future capital needs, the debt service threshold must be kept within safe limits, officials say. Letting New York City sell more bonds will allow it to meet its capital needs over the next

New York City is stepping up to the plate on Tuesday with the second biggest bond sale of the week, a $1.45 billion issue of general obligation bonds. Set to be priced by Jefferies on Monday for retail investors and on Tuesday for institutions, the tax-exempt GO deal is tentatively structured in four series with

In a majority vote, the California Public Employee Retirement System board came out against a state initiative headed for November’s ballot that would limit the ability of state and local governments to levy taxes and make pension contributions. The initiative, called the “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act,” would amend the California constitution altering the

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed real estate transfer tax change — also known as the mansion tax or Bring Chicago Home — was defeated in Tuesday’s election. The city has said the revenue generated from the tax would go to fight homelessness in Chicago. About 53.6% of Chicago voters had rejected the measure by Wednesday,

Municipals were steady to end the week ahead of a surge in supply, helped by three billion-plus deals. U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities were mixed. While USTs yields fell up to five basis points late in the session Friday, they sold off for most of this week, with various market participants seeing “even more

Employee-owned international broker-dealer Baird has added depth to its newly launched California Public Finance group with the addition of Alex Boutyrski. Boutyrski, who joins as senior vice president in the Los Angeles office, has more than 10 years of public finance experience. He will work with John Baracy, a Baird managing director, who the firm

Municipals saw spots of weakness on the short end of the curve while two high-grade issuers priced the largest deals left of the week, mutual funds saw smaller inflows and U.S. Treasuries closed the session softer 10-years and in, but a touch stronger out long. Equities rallied as the markets contemplated the better likelihood of

State tax revenue collections are softening and some are even negative compared to a year earlier, analysts say. “Most states are now grappling with weakened tax revenues and growing uncertainties, particularly related to the presidential election, potential federal policy changes, and geopolitical crises,” said Urban Institute Principal Research Associate Lucy Dadayan. “Overall, growth in state

S&P Global Ratings on Wednesday upgraded Louisiana’s general obligation bonds to AA from AA-minus. S&P also raised the long-term rating on the state’s appropriation-backed debt to AA-minus from A-plus. “The upgrades reflect our view of Louisiana’s demonstrated commitment to improving and maintaining reserves above levels that we consider very strong and the state’s ongoing effort