Bonds

Municipals were mostly steady to a touch softer in secondary trading while newly upgraded gilt-edged Ohio upsized its general obligation refunding deal and repriced to lower yields. U.S. Treasuries improved on the day following cooler inflation data that many participants said would not move the needle on the Federal Reserve’s rates decision Wednesday. Triple-A yields

Municipals saw weakness for the first time since October after falling upward of 100 basis points since then, as investors are digesting the lower muni yield set amid richer ratios and weaker U.S. Treasuries. Triple-A yields rose one to three basis points with larger losses out long, depending on the curve, while USTs were mixed

Bondholders and other parties involved in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy returned to court Friday in an effort to move the needle on their opposing cases seeking better repayment terms. Bond parties defended their adversary complaint against Puerto Rico’s central government’s actions regarding PREPA since the central government emerged from bankruptcy in March

Texas and its public schools could face future budget pressures in the wake of last month’s passage of a constitutional amendment to decrease school property taxes, Fitch Ratings said Thursday. Proposition 4 was among 12 other constitutional amendments Texas voters approved Nov. 7 with many of the measures tapping surplus state money for tax relief

Alan Appelbaum, former managing director and head of Aegis Capital Corp.’s municipal bond desk, has agreed to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he disregarded his obligations as a broker-dealer and violated antifraud provisions in his recommendation of certain variable interest rate structured products to seven investors. Without admitting or denying the findings, Applebaum,

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will need to close a $68 billion shortfall as he wraps up work on the proposed budget for fiscal 2024 that he will present to lawmakers in January. The upshot is that the flooding and massive storms that hit California in early 2023 and pushed income tax filings in the state

Moody’s Investors Service raised its outlook on U.S. nonprofit higher education sector to stable from negative on Thursday, citing expected narrowing gaps between expense and revenue growth. Also on Thursday, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its “bifurcated” outlook for the sector, which includes a negative outlook for less selective, more regional institutions without financial flexibility and

Municipals were steady Friday, ignoring weakness in the U.S. Treasury market after the jobs report came in hotter-than-expected. Equities ended up. The November payroll report “was stronger than Wall Street was expecting, and we are already seeing significant upward pressure on Treasury yields,” said Scott Anderson, chief U.S. economist and managing director at BMO Economics.

Ohio for the first time can boast of a trifecta of triple-A ratings after S&P Global Ratings on Friday gave top marks to the state’s issuer and general obligation ratings. “The upgrades reflect our view of Ohio’s demonstrated commitment to active budget management and building and maintaining reserves through economic cycles,” said S&P analyst Rob

About 33 years after former junk bond king Michael Milken pleaded guilty to multiple counts of securities and reporting violations, Richard Sandler, his personal attorney and a childhood friend, has published a book on the investigation to “set the record straight.” “I can’t change the fact I wrote it now, rather than years ago,” Sandler

Municipals were slightly firmer Thursday as the last of the week’s large new-issues came and went while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended up ahead of Friday’s much-anticipated jobs report. Triple-A yields fell one to three basis points while USTs yields were relatively flat, only a basis point down out long. Relative value

A plan to modify outstanding Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company debt with an upfront cash payment and a new series of longer-dated taxable bonds, which had overwhelming support of bondholders, was approved by U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain Wednesday. The PRIDCO bonds, federally taxable, have $150 million in principal outstanding ($189.6 million when

Municipals were firmer Wednesday while a busy primary market saw Pennsylvania sell $2.1 billion of general obligation bonds competitively and the New York City Transitional Finance Authority repriced its $1.3 billion of revenue bonds in the negotiated market with yields lowered by up to 12 basis points from Tuesday’s retail offering. Treasuries were firmer five

The city of Chicago and its Sales Tax Securitization Corporation won The Bond Buyer’s 22nd annual Deal of the Year award for its $1.7 billion financing that addressed initiatives related to affordable housing, homelessness support services, environmental justice, and community development. The issuance, which was the Deal of the Year in the Midwest category, included

Municipals improved amid a large new-issue slate pricing in the primary while U.S. Treasuries were back in the black and equities were mixed throughout the day. Triple-A yields fell three to four basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs saw the largest gains out long. The primary market is robust this week, with several

Two years into a public-private partnership to rebuild and take over the New York State Thruway Authority’s service areas, the project is 225 days behind schedule, a delay that has led to a technical default and prompted Fitch Ratings to revise its outlook to negative from stable. AECOM Tishman, the design-build contractor who is responsible

Municipals were little changed Monday, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended down. November was a “positive month” for munis as triple-A yields fell on an average of 89 basis points, bringing month-to-date returns of 6.35% and pushing year-to-date returns to 3.98% through the end of the month, Jason Wong, vice president of municipals

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has filed its 2024 fees for dealers and municipal advisors with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with underwriting and municipal advisor fees rising and transaction and trade count fees coming down. The board’s underwriting fee went up 25% to $0.0371 from $0.0297 for every $1,000 par underwritten and the municipal

Water systems will need to turn to municipal bonds, federal loans, state revolving funds and federal legislative help to meet a new Environmental Protection proposal requiring water systems to replace all lead pipes within the decade. “It’s a big task,” said Dan Hartnett, chief advocacy officer at the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. “We’ll be

A $2.6 billion terminal renovation at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport was officially launched Thursday, while a feud over bond financing for the project continues between the city’s mayor and controller.  Mayor Sylvester Turner joined United Airlines officials at the airport to highlight the Terminal B project, which includes the expansion of 40 gates to