Bonds

The late March collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge raises questions about the age and resiliency of U.S. infrastructure that engineers and the finance industry will need to address together. That’s the view of Maria Lehman, immediate past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, GHD’s infrastructure market leader for the United States
The not-for-profit healthcare sector continues to face challenges, including a high number of bond covenant violations, which can provide an early warning of payment defaults, said Lisa Washburn, chief credit officer and managing director for Municipal Market Analytics.   “The hospital sector has definitely seen improvement since the worst of 2022, but I would still
S&P Global Ratings on Wednesday upgraded its long-term rating on Detroit’s unlimited-tax general obligation debt to investment grade, raising it to BBB from BB-plus. The outlook is stable. The rating agency said the change reflected a stronger financial position and its “increased confidence in the city’s ability to sustain balance within the construct of its
As the chance to tap federal dollars through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law inches into the final two years of the program, a growing group of policy influencers and lawmakers are moving towards a reauthorization.  “We’re having hearings right now on reauthorization,” said Rep. Rick Larsen D- Wash. “When we’re doing these hearings, we’re talking about
Munis were a touch firmer in spots Tuesday as the primary market ramped up and investors awaited Wednesday’s inflation report to give further guidance on Fed rate cuts. U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities were mixed at the close. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 65%, the three-year at 64%, the five-year at 61%,
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Municipal issuance surged 31.7% in the first quarter of 2024, rising to $98.245 billion from $74.625 billion in the first quarter of 2023. The increased par amount was achieved in 1,607 deals in Q1 2024, up from 1,397 in Q1 2023. BofA
California lawmakers fine-tuned their March budget proposal, cutting spending by $17.3 billion ahead of formal discussions to get a head start on difficult decisions amid a record deficit. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced they reached an agreement Thursday, providing specifics about how they plan to
Following another better-than-expected jobs report, U.S. Treasuries sold off and were volatile throughout the session leading municipals to see a weaker, but more muted tone than their taxable counterparts. Equities rallied. The March employment report sent “the bond market in panic mode over Fed cuts being delayed,” according to Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager/vice president at
The Department of Transportation and Baltimore County have reached an agreement to divert a previously awarded DOT grant to help nearby ports accommodate more cargo following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. That comes along with the announcement Thursday that DOT’s Federal Transit Administration will allocate $20.5 billion to state and local government
S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook on the University of Arizona’s debt to negative from stable Wednesday, citing the school’s deteriorating finances.  The move came a month after Moody’s Ratings took similar action.  “The negative outlook is based on the anticipation of increased deficit operations and pressured liquidity,” S&P analyst Laura Macdonald said in a
The bankruptcy of Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital is closer to an end with the resolution last week of a dispute between the committee of unsecured creditors, which had filed a complaint on March 25, and trustee Computershare Trust and bondholder representative Preston Hollow Community Capital.  The plan support agreement reached raised the estimated dollar amount