Bonds

As states and the federal government grapple with ways to replace or complement the diminishing gas tax, the idea of a per-mile user fee has gained public support over the last decade. That’s according to the latest annual survey from the Mineta Transportation Institute, based at San Jose State University, which for the last 15

Debt issued by the California Community Choice Finance Authority, a conduit for the state’s community choice aggregators, has climbed to nearly $10 billion in the three years since its inception. The first California CCA agency was created in 2010 to offer communities alternatives to purchasing power from private utilities and to encourage growth in more

The U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s financial situation is the worst in more than 30 years, one board director said Thursday. Board Director Hubert Turnbull made the remark at the board’s monthly meeting as a prelude to asking CEO Andrew Smith to explain the authority’s financial situation. WAPA had to turn to the

Municipals sold off Thursday with more cuts across the curve as a correction has ensued for the asset class just ahead of the summer reinvestment season. U.S. Treasuries saw losses and equities were also in the red. Municipal bond mutual funds saw the second week of outflows as investors pulled $217.6 million from the funds

The South has been the driving force for United States population growth in recent years – in 2023 for example, the region accounted for 87% of the nation’s population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That population growth has helped spur economic growth in that region. But the changing climate may turn that equation

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has retired nine separate pieces of interpretive guidance related to Rule G-12(c) on inter-dealer confirmations following the board’s request for comment on the rule. The move follows recent comments submitted by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association that urged the board to knock out the provision altogether, and the

Munis were weaker Wednesday as the primary market saw a slew of new deals price, adding pressure to secondary market trading. U.S. Treasury yields rose throughout most of the curve and equities ended down. Triple-A yields rose as much as 11 basis points while USTs were weaker by five basis points. As munis have seen

Indiana officials celebrated the completion of the first of three major commuter railway projects in the northwest part of the state. The Double Track Northwest Indiana project, a $650 million endeavor, involved the creation of a double track on the South Shore Line from Michigan City to Gary. It is now completed and producing revenue,

Municipals weakened further Tuesday in secondary trading as a large new-issue slate took focus in the primary market. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities were in the black. Muni yields were cut up to seven basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell two to three basis points, pushing muni to UST ratios

A California Senate committee received few details from the department charged with building a public broadband program on its plans to expand into underserved neighborhoods. The program faced criticism last year for prioritizing upscale cities, like Beverly Hills, over impoverished and middle-class areas, such as Los Angeles’ South Central region and Oakland, communities lacking in

Greensboro, North Carolina, is expected to price $175 million of bonds next week, $25 million of which are taxable bonds, with the proceeds being used to redeem outstanding bond anticipation notes. The North Carolina Local Government Commission approved the Greensboro bonds earlier this month as well as $212 million of bonds from Raleigh, with an

Municipals were weaker to start the week, as U.S. Treasury yields rose slightly and equities were mixed near the close. Muni yields rose up to nine basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose up to three basis points. “While we acknowledge that the market tone is weaker [Monday], we are generally constructive

Virginia Beach tapped the municipal bond market to help fund a surf park development backed by multi-Grammy award winning artist Pharrell Williams.  The Virginia Beach Development Authority priced about $189 million of debt on Thursday with some of the bond proceeds financing the construction of a 3,500-person entertainment venue, parking facilities and land acquisitions, as

Municipals were steady to slightly weaker in spots ahead of a $12 billion-plus calendar, while U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities were mixed near the close There are nearly 30 new-issues over $100 million on tap across the credit spectrum, led by the week’s largest negotiated deal from Harris County, Texas, with $950 million of

A Senate Finance Committee hearing led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, contemplated ways to smooth funding for rural hospitals as the number in the red has spiked in recent years. Rural hospitals and clinics across the U.S., including in Oregon, have been particularly hard hit by the challenges facing healthcare over the past several years.

States are casting around for solutions to a drop in gas tax revenues which includes hiked registration fees and the expansion of toll roads, which remains politically sensitive.  “Various projections from state DOTs, think tanks, and economists show that gas tax revenue, which is the largest source of revenue for state transportation trust funds, is

The Federal Reserve’s delay of interest-rate cuts in a bid to temper inflation runs the risk of falling behind the curve, according to Mohamed El-Erian. “The Fed pivoted on the basis of data. It was the opposite of the pivot that they did in December — now they have to do a U-turn,” El-Erian, the

The median audit time for all municipal bond sectors rose nearly 10.5% from 2011 to 2022, according to a new report from the University of Illinois-Chicago and Merritt Research Services.  The report also found a direct correlation between audit timeliness and credit rating for all governmental bond sectors and a majority of revenue bond sectors.

Municipal bonds saw a touch of weakness in spots as the last large issues of the week priced while municipal bond mutual fund flows show retail engaged and high-yield continuing to outperform the broader investment-grade market. U.S. Treasuries faced some pressure on a slew of economic data and Fed speak that gave participants pause on

Exchange-traded funds have seen inflows over the past several weeks as demand grows, showing improved retail investor sentiment and a better market environment overall. LSEG Lipper reported muni ETFs saw $91 million of inflows for the week ending Wednesday after $922 million of inflows the week ending May 8, while the Investment Company Institute reported

Fitch Ratings last week upgraded Milwaukee’s issuer default rating and general obligation rating to A-plus from BBB-plus. The outlook is stable.  Milwaukee benefited from Fitch’s new rating criteria, rolled out last month, which incorporate most of the credit factors that Fitch has considered historically but include additional analytical factors and now assign specific weightings to