Bonds

As the fallout from UBS Puerto Rico closed-end fund losses soared past $100 million in arbitration settlements last month, a central figure in a drama still unwinding years later warns that something just like it could happen again. Jose G. Ramirez Arone, Jr. seems far removed from the man who was once one of UBS’

Municipal bonds were mostly steady Thursday after a report showing an unexpectedly high increase in consumer prices pushed U.S. Treasuries and stocks higher. Yields on 10- and 30-year munis were firm on the AAA scales while the 10-year benchmark Treasury yield fell to 1.46%, its lowest level since March 4. For the 14th week in

Municipal bonds rallied Wednesday as triple-A benchmark yields fell as much as five basis points out long but bumps were seen across the curve, moving levels on high-grades below 1% on bonds maturing inside 14 years, while another round of billion-plus inflows were reported. The Investment Company Institute reported $1.089 billion of inflows into municipal

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi signed a bill Wednesday rejecting any pension cuts and undoing pension reforms enacted in 2017, despite these cuts and adjustments being part of the proposed plan of adjustment and approved fiscal plan. “The public pensioners dedicated years of their lives to the service of our people and were the engine

The Wayne County Airport Authority heads into the market Wednesday for a new-money sale riding the tailwinds of a more stable fiscal picture thanks to federal support and rebounding passenger levels. The authority on Wednesday will borrow $163 million of senior lien airport revenue bonds to finance projects already approved by airlines at the Detroit

Municipals rallied by one to four basis points Tuesday following strong bids for competitive Georgia and Wisconsin exempt general obligation bonds and various negotiated deals repriced to lower yields while the 10-year U.S. Treasury dipped to 1.53%, a low not hit since March. The move in Treasuries helped, but after weeks of limited tax-exempt supply

Munis were quiet Monday along with U.S. Treasuries as participants await the larger new-issue week that begins pricing Tuesday led by competitive deals from gilt-edged Georgia and the state of Wisconsin. Flat with little activity is how municipals started the week as ratios continued to be close to or at historic levels due to the

President Biden said Monday his Justice Department will defend current law that denies Supplemental Security Income benefits to Puerto Rico residents but he called on congress to amend the Social Security Act to extend those benefits. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled in April 2020 that the prevailing federal practice of

Armed with strong rating agency reviews and with an eye toward infrastructure and workforce development, Maine expects to come to market the week of June 7 with a $99 million negotiated general obligation bond sale. The deal is comprised of $82 million of Series B tax-exempt and $17 million of Series A federally taxable bonds,

House Democrats have introduced a five-year $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill that the committee will consider next week. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. unveiled their INVEST in America Act Friday. The bill would provide federal funding for roads, bridges, mass transit, and rail infrastructure which is important for many issuers

Whether voters will get to decide proposed Detroit charter revisions opposed by the city’s mayor as a threat to its fiscal solvency is headed to the Michigan Supreme Court. The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Friday to the Detroit Charter Review Commission’s request that it take up the question after an appellate court Thursday upheld a

California voters rejected a school bond measure for the first time in 30 years in March 2020 and state Sen. Steven Glazer, D-Orinda, wants a do-over. His Senate Bill 22, the Public Preschool, K-12 and College Health and Safety Bond Act, passed the Senate Thursday on a 31-5 vote. If the State Assembly approves it,

Municipal bonds strengthened on the long end Friday after the latest employment report showed continued job growth and buoyed equities and Treasuries. The Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls rose 559,000 in May as the jobless rate fell to 5.8% from 6.1%. The numbers showed slow but steady strength in the labor market, but came in

A Puerto Rico court rejected a motion from several bond underwriters to dismiss a bond insurer suit against them for misrepresentations in their Official Statements. Senior Judge Ladi Buono de Jesús issued the decision Wednesday from her position in the Court of First Instance in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bond insurers National Public Finance Guarantee

Illinois lawmakers signed off on the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority’s subsidy request, providing a backstop for the agency to weather the pandemic’s lingering wounds. The agency also is finalizing its next debt restructuring to provide another tool to manage loss of tax and operational revenues after the pandemic shut down the convention business last

Ongoing large inflows into the municipal market sustained a firm tone Thursday as interest rates remain on a gradual decline in spite of the volatility in the Treasury market, but most participants await Friday’s jobs report. Refinitiv Lipper reported $997.358 million of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds, of that $372 million was high-yield. Triple-A

The Federal Reserve Board plans to begin gradually selling a portfolio of corporate debt purchased through an emergency lending facility launched last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading panic through financial markets. “Portfolio sales will be gradual and orderly, and will aim to minimize the potential for any adverse impact on market functioning by

The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority will push off repayment of about $20 million of debt to free Chicago from the burden of covering a COVID-19-induced shortfall in hotel tax collections. The ISFA board, which includes a mix of members appointed by the mayor and governor, signed off in a special meeting Tuesday on the refinancing

Municipals were little changed Tuesday, largely ignoring a weaker U.S. Treasury market, as participants await light supply with a lot of cash on hand. Municipal to UST ratios started the week hovering at recent levels, closing at 61% in 10 years and 66% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD. ICE Data Services saw ratios

Illinois lawmakers passed a fiscal 2022 budget that pays down COVID-19-related short-term borrowing, raises $600 million of revenue by eliminating corporate incentives, and uses $2.5 billion of the $8.1 billion ticketed for the state in the American Rescue Plan Act. The budget package laid out in amendments to Senate Bill 2800 includes a $42.3 billion

Grace Dunlap, Chair of the Board at Bryant Miller Olive P.A., is the first public finance attorney to win the Ralph A. Marsicano Award. The 2020 award was presented by the City, County and Local Government Law section of the Florida Bar on May 12. The award is given by the CCLGL section to an

Vermont’s $153.3 million sale of general obligation bonds in three series generated a nearly $30 million premium on top of that, state treasurer Beth Pearce said. Proceeds will fund new capital projects and refinance debt. The refunding portion generated more than $7.6 million of savings on a net present value basis, according to Pearce. “Investors

The Chicago Transit Authority heads into the market next week to refund $127 million of federal grant anticipation-backed bonds with positive rating news in tow. S&P Global Ratings lifted its outlook to positive from stable on a portion of the CTA’s grant-backed bonds being refunded, citing improving coverage ratios. S&P also moved the outlook to

There’s so much spare cash sloshing around U.S. funding markets that investors are choosing to park almost half a trillion dollars at the central bank — earning absolutely nothing. Usage of the Federal Reserve’s reverse repo facility — a mechanism that’s part of the central bank’s arsenal for helping to steer short-term interest rates —

Municipals were a touch firmer Friday with a few stronger high-grade prints clearing at levels to move triple-A benchmarks a basis point better while U.S. Treasuries were also a basis point or two lower ahead of what will be a low-issuance week to start the summer. All triple-A benchmark 10-year yields are now below 1%,

San Diego’s regional transportation planning agency introduced a $160 billion draft regional plan that hinges on high-density housing development along transit lines. The 30-year plan drafted by the 21-member board of the San Diego Association of Governments has the support of environmental and labor groups though it faces opposition from some Republicans and anti-tax groups.

The Biden administration is proposing the authorization of $50 billion in direct-pay qualified School Infrastructure Bonds and doubling the limit on tax-exempt private activity bonds for transportation infrastructure to $30 billion. The Treasury’s so-called Green Book of proposed changes to tax law released Friday also calls for an enhancement of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

Proposed legislation to move Chicago Public Schools to a fully-elected, 21-member school board without any city role raises “dangerous” financial questions, Chicago Civic Federation President Laurence Msall warned lawmakers. Among the key questions: will the city government continue to transfer money to a school district it no longer controls? CPS governance is in the crosshairs

The Federal Reserve’s prestigious annual Jackson Hole policy symposium will be held in person this year, albeit in a modified form, according to a statement Thursday from hosts the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The yearly retreat of the world’s top central bankers and economists went virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

Municipals saw one to three basis point bumps to benchmark yield curves while new issues repriced by as much as 10 basis points lower into a stronger, issuer-friendly market, as the 10-year fell below 1% on most scales. The Investment Company Institute reported $1.27 billion of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds, marking the 11th