Bonds

Issuers in the Southeast sold $30.3 billion of municipal bonds in the first half of 2023, 29.9% less than they did in the same period last year, according to data supplied by Refinitiv. There were 490 deals, down from 788 a year earlier, when the region’s issuers sold $43.2 billion of bonds. The Southeast recorded

Vermont launched part one of a two-part general obligation bond sale this week with a competitive auction of $61.2 million of new money bonds. That will be followed with a $53.5 million GO refunding that is expected to price by negotiation Thursday. The competitive bid was won by BofA Securities, according to Refinitiv TM3. The

Maryland will wager on federal funds for a massive and controversial project to ease congestion around the American Legion Bridge that was previously structured as the largest public-private partnership in the U.S. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Monday made his first public comments on the project since the state’s private partner Transurban Transurban announced in March

Municipals were weaker to start the week, while U.S. Treasuries saw more losses as investors continue to see a stronger-than-expected U.S. economy challenge Federal Reserve policy efforts. Equities ended mixed. Triple-A yield curves were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose six to nine basis points, pushing the

The Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits have the potential to transform the energy market, and in drafting best practices, the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service should consider the compliance burdens, added premiums and easing the excessive payments statute for state and local governments.  That’s according to Emily Brock, director of the federal liaison

Bondholder-sympathetic Puerto Rico Oversight Board Member Justin Peterson resigned Friday afternoon in protest of the impending Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority plan of adjustment. Peterson announced his resignation on Twitter. The board says it will submit the proposed plan on Aug. 25. “To be clear, I’ve decided to resign because I do not wish to

After months of negotiations, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a 20-year lease extension at Raleigh, North Carolina’s PNC Arena, helped by a package of incentives officials hope will spur wider development in the area. The Centennial Authority, which owns the arena on behalf of the state, put the final touches on a deal

Municipals were mixed Friday while U.S. Treasuries made gains on global concerns over higher interest rates and the hopes for a soft landing fading. Equities sold off. “For those hoping things will be quiet on the [Federal Open Market Committee], or Fed front they can think again,” said Tom Kozlik, head of public policy and

The deadline for the Puerto Rico Oversight Board to submit a proposed Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority plan of adjustment was pushed back to Aug. 25 from Aug. 18. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain postponed the date despite objections from bond insurer Assured Guaranty and bond holder GoldenTree Asset Management. According to the

The inaugural sale of a California Housing Finance Agency credit that pools multifamily housing loans received a welcome reception from the market. It was the first time in nearly a decade that CalHFA has sold bonds under a party indenture for a pool of multifamily permanent loans, and as “a new California credit, the bonds

Citing rising U.S. debt to GDP ratio and climbing interest rates, a call to action for the public finance community frames the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds as at risk of becoming obsolete. But the report issued as a municipal commentary by Tom Kozlik, head of public policy and municipal strategy at Hilltop Securities, may

Municipals were weaker Thursday as outflows from muni mutual funds returned and U.S. Treasuries saw yields rise out long. Equities sold off. Triple-A benchmarks were cut three to nine basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose up to four basis points out long, pushing the 10- and 30-year to multi-year highs. The

Parties to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy reached a deal on bondholder claims to PREPA special funds money. The parties were arguing whether bondholders had perfected liens on funds in PREPA’s construction, capital improvement and reserve maintenance funds. The sides reached a deal where PREPA would transfer $3 million to the sinking fund

Municipals were mixed Wednesday amid another busy new-issue day led by the University of California Regents in the negotiated space and gilt-edged Tennessee in the competitive market. U.S. Treasuries were weaker again, pushing the 10-year UST to a high not seen since 2008. Equities ended the trading session down. Triple-A benchmarks saw cuts out long,

Oklahoma revised its list of financial firms determined to be boycotting the fossil fuel industry, shrinking the number to six from 13 with three large municipal investment banks remaining on it.  Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo were on an initial list released by state Treasurer Todd Russ in May and will

Municipals were mixed in secondary trading Tuesday amid an active primary that saw two large airport deals from Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta price. U.S. Treasuries were also mixed, and equities sold off. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 63%, the three-year at 63%, the five-year at 63%, the 10-year at 65% and the 30-year

The top bond counsel in the first half of 2023 handled a combined $171.581 billion across 3,483 bond issues, down from $201.013 billion in 4,676 transactions this time last year.  The top 10 bond counsel, which welcomed four newcomers this year, accounted for $77.823 billion across 1,066 issues during 1H 2023. The newcomers, Bracewell, Gilmore

Annual tax revenue collection in Massachusetts fell by 4.7% in fiscal year 2023, the State Department of Revenue announced in its yearly report released Friday. The state collected $39.2 billion in fiscal 2023, $1.94 billion less than in fiscal 2022 and 1.5% below the state’s set benchmark, the report said. Officials attributed the year-over-year dip

After more than 35 years in the public finance industry, the last 15 at Fitch Ratings, Ann Flynn has retired. Flynn’s seat on the Northeast Women in Public Finance board is now held by Arlene Bohner, Fitch’s head of U.S. public finance, whom Flynn hired. Bohner said she hopes to carry on Flynn’s commitment to

Municipals were little changed Friday, once again ignoring losses in the U.S. Treasury and equity markets that were digesting higher-than-expected inflation data and macroeconomic concerns. While the consumer price index came in nearly as expected on Thursday, Friday’s producer price index came in higher than expected, leaving some analysts to fear more Federal Reserve rate