Bonds

The outlook on Hawaii’s Aa2 rating was lowered to stable from positive by Moody’s Investors Service ahead of an $800 million taxable general obligation bond deal. The outlook revision “reflects our expectation that given its significant tourism industry, lagging demographic trends, and already high cost of living, Hawaii is vulnerable to high inflation and potentially

The tax-exempt market has been relatively slow to jump on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) bandwagon as market participants continue to search for a standard analytical approach.  So far, the institutional buy-side has been leading the charge into sustainable investing, leaving bond underwriters and issuers scratching their heads as to how to best respond.

Bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain approved the Plan of Adjustment for the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, reducing its debts by 80% and saving it more than $3 billion in debt service payments.   Swain approved the HTA debt plan on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Swain overruled any prior

A specific environmental social and governance regulatory proposal tailored to the municipal bond market may not be necessary, as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposal that applies to corporate issuers may be enough to satisfy the muni market’s ESG-related disclosures. That’s according to panelists who spoke during the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ Workshop on

Municipals were firmer in secondary trading Wednesday as the largest deal of the week, a $700 million offering from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, took focus in the primary. U.S. Treasuries made gains and equities ended mixed after the Federal Open Market Committee minutes signaled continued tightening. “The Fed Minutes showed tightening will continue even

The Biden Administration Tuesday announced it is sending states $59.9 billion of fiscal year 2023 transportation funds allocated under the bipartisan infrastructure law. The money marks a $15.4 billion increase in formula highway funding over fiscal year 2021 allocation, administration officials said on a press call. It’s the second year of funding under the Infrastructure

The Washington and Oregon governors and the premier of Canada’s British Columbia province have signed a pact joining with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in setting environmental mandates that encourage electric vehicle use, and pledging dollars to investing in EV infrastructure. Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier John Horgan

Transcription:Caitlin Devitt: (00:03)Hi and welcome to the Bond Buyer podcast. I’m Caitlin Devitt. My guest today is Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, which is, as most of you know, a nonprofit research group on all things transportation related. And he’s also the editor of the Eno Transportation Weekly, a

In the age of great resignation, demographic shifts, population loss, and retiring workforce, how is the muni industry planning to face the talent challenge and continue growth? Our panelists will examine some of the strategies they employ to attract and retain talent as well as how they continue to focus their efforts on having diverse

The city of Trenton has found itself in hot water with the state of New Jersey once again. Following a brush with default in August that prompted a state response, a group of local legislators announced on Monday that New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection planned for a limited but “imminent” intervention of its troubled

Municipals were a touch weaker out long to close out the week while U.S. Treasuries posted losses and equities sold off after hotter-than-expected jobs data. Municipal to UST ratios again fell on the day’s moves. The three-year on Thursday was at 69%, the five-year was at 73%, the 10-year at 82% and the 30-year at

As we approach a year since the infrastructure law passed, the discussion will center around the plans put in place to use the monies as well as what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. The discussion points will include: The rollout of IIJA   How easy/difficult has it been to receive the money from the government

Our panel of issuers will share their insights into the current state of the public finance sector and the road ahead.  Topics of discussion will include: How are issuers doing business in the hybrid world? Navigating the red state, blue state environment: anti-gun laws, energy/fossil fuel boycotting:  what does all this mean for the muni

Chief Economist Dr. Lindsey Piegza will look at the current state of the economy amid the ongoing pandemic and what it means going forward for overall growth, interest rates and monetary policy. She will cover macro-economic trends in consumer spending and investment, in addition to new monetary and fiscal policy initiatives and the potential economic

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said he favors lifting interest rates to between 4% and 4.5% by the end of this year, and then keeping the tightening in place to reduce inflation that remains near a four-decade high. “I would like to reach a point where policy is moderately restrictive — between

Municipal yields fell Tuesday by as much as 10 basis points out long while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities rallied. Triple-A yields fell four to 10 basis points across the curve amid robust secondary trading with high-grade names showing clear moves to lower yields. New York City priced $1.35 billion of exempt and

The fate of a planned 16-million-square-foot Georgia factory for electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is in question after a judge denied validation of $15 billion in PILOT bonds planned to back its construction. The Georgia Economic Development Commission, along with the Joint Development Authority for Jasper, Morgan, Newton, and Walton counties and Rivian, negotiated an agreement

The first green municipal bond was issued nearly a decade ago, but the public finance industry — and California in particular — have been working to take it to the next level. California’s Green Bond Market Development Committee plans to produce recommendations next year on both best practices for issuing green bonds and a method

Municipals made gains Monday, underperforming a stronger U.S. Treasury market, but taking advantage of the positive tone of all markets as equities also rallied to open the fourth quarter. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped one to six basis points, depending on the scale, while U.S. Treasury yields fell 16 to 19 basis points 10 years and

California water and wastewater issuers count among their challenges the recurrence of drought, fundamental modification to the usage rates and patterns of enterprise services post pandemic, and significant capital requirements from a regulatory and reinvestment perspective. Issuers and other sector experts will explore the unique risks facing water and wastewater agencies and how they are

Cities and Counties have had to question long-term revenue forecasts that were based on fundamentals that may no longer be present in their post-COVID economies. This uncertainty is particularly unsettling as COVID relief funds are spent down. Issuers, their advisors, and sector professionals will discuss their view of these challenges amidst those of the broader