Bonds

Muni bond issuers and auditors may be affected by the findings of a task force recently assembled by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, which is addressing issues related to identifying public financial peril. The task force is focused on the board’s Going Concern Uncertainties and Severe Financial Stress project. The goal is to solicit stakeholder

Municipals sold off out long in secondary trading while two billion-dollar-plusnew-issues from California and the New York City Transitional Finance Authority made concessions in primary pricings. Munis continued to play catch up to the rise in U.S. Treasury yields, though taxables improved Wednesday and equities ended mixed. Municipal bond mutual funds saw more losses with

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is urging the Federal Reserve to exercise caution as it considers another interest rate increase at next week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. In a letter sent to Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday, Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, advised the central bank not to “lose sight” of its

Munis were mixed Tuesday as the secondary took a backseat to the larger primary that began pricing, while U.S. Treasuries whipsawed into a rally as economic data signaled the Federal Reserve’s actions are cooling the economy while equities improved on better corporate earnings. Triple-A yields were little changed to weaker by a basis point or

Securities firms in New York City saw their pretax first half profits fall 56.3% to $13.5 billion from $31 billion in the same period of 2021, according to a report released by the state on Tuesday. During the pandemic, securities companies reported record high profits, with the combined earnings in 2020 and 2021 of $109.3

Munis continued to see losses following Friday’s selloff as the 30-year triple-A yield topped 4%. U.S. Treasuries ended the session weaker across the curve while equities extended gains. Triple-A yields rose three to seven basis points, depending on the scale, while Treasuries saw larger losses out long. The three-year muni to UST ratio on Monday

With the University of Puerto Rico under increasing financial pressure, the full payment of its roughly $365 million in bonds appears to be under threat. The university has continued to pay debt service on its bonds since the 2016 passage of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act that set up the bankruptcy

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly said policymakers should start planning for a reduction in the size of interest-rate increases, though it’s not yet time to “step down” from large hikes. “It should at least be something we’re considering at this point, but the data haven’t been cooperating,” Daly said Friday in

In May, Princeton University, a non-profit with access to the tax-exempt debt markets, chose to issue $300 million of taxable debt with a corporate CUSIP side-by-side with a traditional $300 million tax-exempt deal. That’s because the taxable corporate CUSIP bonds allowed it more flexibility with proceeds than tax-exempts do, a university official said. “The university

Florida’s unemployment rate fell to a near record low in September, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Labor Department and the state Department of Economic Opportunity. Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.5% from 2.7% in the previous month and is now the second lowest in the state’s history and the lowest since October

A shift in the municipal bond buyer base away from mutual funds might mean an uptick in borrowing costs for states and local governments and a more credit-focused investment strategy. Massive mutual fund outflows this year of around $100 billion means issuers have “lost their prime funding mechanism,” said Tom Doe, president and managing partner

Municipals sold off Friday with losses of up to 18 basis points, with the damage felt across the curve, and the 30-year triple-A yield closed just shy of 4%. U.S. Treasuries ended mixed after the 10-year rose to levels not seen since 2007 earlier in the session, and the reversal led to an equity rally

The operator of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s South Terminal is seeking monetary damages in its breach of contract federal lawsuit related to plans to demolish the facility to make way for a partly bond-financed expansion project.  Lonestar Airport Holdings, which sued the city of Austin in August in U.S. District Court for the Western District of

Municipals were weaker as mutual fund outflows continued, while U.S. Treasuries extended their selloff and equities ended in the red. Triple-A yields rose one to three basis points, with the larger losses out long, while UST yields rose eight to 10 basis points across the curve. Muni-UST ratios fell with the three-year at 65%, the

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s quarterly meeting on October 26-27 will discuss authorizing a request for comment on a proposal to exempt municipal advisors from the obligation to requalify association with a municipal advisor firm via examination after a two-year lapse. The board recently voted to amend its Rule G-40 to allow municipal advisors to

Bondholders and insurers of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority revenue bonds are defending what they say is their lien on the authority’s revenues. The parties filed a 73-page defense Monday in an adversary complaint in the PREPA bankruptcy on the lien issue. Their defense responds to an Oversight Board complaint submitted Oct. 3 that said

States and localities would be required to implement greenhouse gas emissions performance measures under a proposed federal rule that’s sparked opposition from issuer groups and Republican senators. The proposed rule from the Federal Highway Administration would require state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to establish greenhouse gas emissions targets and develop a method

Municipals were little changed Tuesday amid a multi-billion-dollar large new-issue day with various credit offerings, while U.S. Treasuries improved slightly and equities ended up. Triple-A curves were a touch firmer in spots as secondary trading took a backseat to the larger primary activity with Connecticut general obligation bonds, CommonSpirit healthcare and several competitive issues led

Municipal bond industry veteran Guy Logan has been named to head up Raymond James’ newly formed national infrastructure group. Logan will join the firm’s Atlanta office as a managing director and lead the group, the firm announced Monday. The group will deliver investment banking services to municipal issuers across the country. He most recently worked

Munis were slightly better to kick off the week, while U.S. Treasuries were firmer 10 years and in and equities rallied. Municipal triple-A yields fell one to three basis points Monday while UST saw the 10- and 30-year end the session just above 4%. “Municipal bond yields decoupled from the Treasury market last week, ending basically