Bonds

Benjamin S. Wolfe of Short Hills, New Jersey, a former public finance banker passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2023. He was 85. He was born on Aug. 18, 1937, in Newark, New Jersey, to Bertha and Milton Wolfe. He grew up in Newark and graduated from Weequahic High School before earning a bachelor’s degree

California lawmakers are in negotiations on a bill that would ask voters for $15.5 billion of bond authority to help fill a gap in the state’s plans to spend $54 billion over five years to tackle climate change. The state Senate approved Senate Bill 867 on May 31on a 33-5 vote. The bill, currently in

Nashville, Tennessee received a series of upgrades from S&P Global this week. The credit agency on Monday boosted Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County’s long-term general obligation debt rating to AA+ from AA. The upgrades also apply to obligations supported by its non-tax revenue. The outlook is stable. The action reflected Nashville’s efforts to “strengthen its

Municipals were steady Tuesday as the new-issue calendar picked up steam, including nearly $1 billion from Texas’ Denton Independent School District and an upsized deal from Utah’s Intermountain Power Agency. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer outside of five years and equities ended the session in the black. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 61%,

Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. hired Marc Livolsi, formerly of Citigroup, as managing director of public finance marketing. Livolsi, who worked at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. for 25 years until the bank cut his position in February along with two others in its municipal team, will focus on building relationships with public finance professionals as well

Transcription:Jessica Lerner (00:03):Hello everyone and welcome to another Bond Buyer podcast. I’m Jessica Lerner, markets reporter at the Bond Buyer. I’m happy to welcome Nick Venditti, municipal bond portfolio manager with Allspring Global Investments. Welcome, Nick.  Nick Venditti (00:18):Thank you so much for having me.  Jessica Lerner (00:19):Yeah, it’s great to talk again. The first

Municipals were mixed Monday ahead of a larger new-issue slate while U.S. Treasuries improved and equities were up near the close. Triple-A yields saw a mix of one to two basis point bumps and cuts, depending on the curve, while UST saw yields fall by one to 11 basis points with the strongest moves inside

New York state agencies need to do more to protect the state’s water systems from threats like cyberattacks and natural disasters, according to an audit released by state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. “New York has thousands of water systems supplying drinking water,” DiNapoli said, “but as we’ve seen in other states, this critical infrastructure is increasingly

To run a municipality in 2023 means preparing for constant cyberattacks.  Cyberattacks have become “an everyday phenomenon” for municipalities, said Omid Rahmani, associate director of public finance at Fitch Ratings. “This problem is not going to get better. In the short term, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” Moody’s Investors Service found

Despite wide expectations for declining revenues, big-ticket tax cuts were on the agenda in state legislatures across the Northeast during the most recent budget negotiation periods. With a slowdown in economic activity expected going into fiscal 2024 after a strong post-COVID rebound, almost every state in the region passed or is still negotiating tax cuts

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approved the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority transfer of $12.8 million to AES-Puerto Rico to help shore up the company, which on June 1 defaulted on municipal bonds.  The bureau voted 4-1 on Wednesday to release money in a PREPA escrow account to AES with the condition it is only

Chicago will deliver its 2024 budget forecast in mid-September after a series of public roundtable meetings this month that, along with a newly delivered transition report, will help shape Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first budget. Recommendations on pension funding fixes from a Johnson-appointed working group also could influence the budget as the panel readies initial proposals

Municipals saw small losses ahead of a larger new-issue calendar, while U.S. Treasuries were stronger up front and weaker out long after the jobs report came in lower than expected, as data continued to send the markets mixed signals on the economy’s health. Triple-A benchmarks rose up to three basis points, while USTs saw yields

New York State Common Retirement Fund’s investment return was negative 4.14% for the state’s fiscal year that ended March 31, said state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The fund is valued at $248.5 billion. The fund’s returns reflect retirement and death benefits of $14.7 billion, which were paid during the fiscal year. For the prior fiscal year,