Bonds

The Illinois state comptroller reported a 55% year-over-year increase in the end-of-year general revenue fund cash balance as her office paid the state’s bills in a timely manner, a departure from recent years when the state’s unpaid bill backlogs topped $10 billion. Illinois ended the fiscal year with a $1.7 billion balance in the general

Parties in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy showed themselves to be further apart than ever before, with the Oversight Board offering little beyond the current plan’s 4% recovery for non-settling bond parties and some bond parties suggesting they should get 100% of what they say is at least an $8.5 billion claim and

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is issuing $625.4 million of second lien dedicated revenue bonds by negotiated sale July 8, which should yield an enthusiastic market response.    “As the interest on the bonds will be exempt in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, I expect strong interest from in-state buyers,” said Patrick Luby, head of Municipals,

California’s presidential election ballot in November will include $20 billion dollars of statewide bond measures, with $20 billion more in one regional bond election. At the state level, lawmakers reached agreements last week on two $10 billion general obligation bond measures that were heading toward approval in floor votes this week. The measures were put

Municipals were a tad firmer ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended mixed. The Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes released after the early market close signaled the Fed is in no hurry to cut rates. FOMC members saw inflation “diminishing” but still needed more evidence it

California’s controversial high-speed rail project cleared a major milestone Thursday when the authority overseeing the project approved final environmental clearance for the final, and possibly the most challenging, segment of the route. The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s approval of a Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement during a two-day meeting last week marked the last

Reinvestment demand will remain strong in July, as large redemptions will support technicals and lead to positive returns. June saw $42.4 billion of redemptions, the highest redemption figure since August 2023, helped the muni market as new-issue buying last month was “pretty strong,” said Pat Luby, head of municipal strategy at CreditSights. Net supply for

When the west abutment on Minnesota’s Rapidan Dam partially failed last week, officials initially feared a total collapse.  The dam did not collapse, but storms caused water to overflow it, debris to clog parts of it and the flood flows to ultimately generate so much erosion that waters ultimately went around the dam. For days,

Municipals were steady Tuesday as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended higher. The muni market will see few deals this week as issuers usually “take a breather” on coming to market during holiday-shortened weeks, noted senior vice president and director of strategic planning and fixed income research at SWBC Chris Brigati. Along with the

Miami-Dade County, Florida, was upgraded to AA-plus from AA by Fitch Ratings, which attributed the change to its new local government ratings criteria. The outlook is stable. Fitch cited the county’s “expected resilience to cyclical and noncyclical economic stressors due to its position as the primary anchor of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach [metropolitan statistical area],

Municipals were slightly weaker Monday but outperformed U.S. Treasuries, which saw larger losses 10 years and out, while equities ended up. Triple-A yields rose one to five basis points, depending on the curve, while UST yields rose up to 14. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 65%, the three-year at 65%, the five-year at

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s proposed Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority plan of adjustment can be approved in its current form despite a recent appeals court ruling undermining the assumptions that underlies it, said board Executive Director Robert Mujica Jr. “We believe that the current plan that we have is confirmable as it is and

Municipals closed the month and the first half of 2024 on a quiet note ahead of the Fourth of July holiday-shortened week and a new-issue slate coming in at a measly $240 million — though there was much to watch on the sidelines. Munis outperformed U.S. Treasuries Friday by holding steady as govies saw some

Moody’s Ratings downgraded two private universities in California this week as higher education continues to grapple with declining enrollment and slower revenues nationally. Moody’s cut the University of La Verne’s rating to Baa1 from A Thursday, affecting $101 million in revenue bonds issued for the school in eastern Los Angeles County. It downgraded the University

The Supreme Court decision in SEC v. Jarkesy, ruling that the Securities and Exchange Commission can’t use administrative court proceedings in cases where it seeks civil penalties, may close down one lane the SEC uses to enforce the market, but it won’t altogether change how the Public Finance Abuse Unit operates. The municipal securities market

Issuance rose in June as improved market momentum, growth of Build America Bond refundings and mega deals pushed bond volume higher year-over-year for the sixth consecutive month. June’s volume came in at $44.769 billion in 798 issues, up 12.8% from $39.705 billion in 867 issues in 2023. June’s total is above the 10-year average of

The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority (CECFA) created a non-profit subsidiary for its bond-financed purchase of a historic hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining.  The authority’s board on Wednesday passed a resolution to form the Stanley Partnership for Art, Culture, and Education, LLC, to facilitate the financing, ownership, and operation of the Stanley

As California grapples with tax revenue shortfalls that threaten his state policy ambitions, Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered an unusual State of the State speech that critics said barely touched on the state’s challenges. Thea pre-recorded speech released Tuesday focused on national politics over state policy. The speech came after the governor and the legislature’s leaders,

Observers and participants in the yearslong effort to turn around Puerto Rico’s economy offered mixed opinions about the significance of the impending departure of Puerto Rico Oversight Board Chairman David Skeel . Skeel will leave the board after a successor is approved. He has been on the board since it was founded in August 2016.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is looking for answers from the Department of Transportation about the speed of infrastructure spending.  “I remain concerned about the slow pace at which the Department is distributing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds,” said Committee Chair Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo. “Despite having received more than $364 billion since IIJA’s

Puerto Rico Oversight Board Chairman David Skeel announced he will leave the board after nearly eight years. Skeel, one of the original seven members appointed in August 2016, shortly after the passage of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, said he will leave when a replacement is in place. In mid-2020 then-Board