Bonds

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

Baby bond programs aren’t a panacea for generational inequality, but remain a promising tool to chip away at such problems, experts said at an event this week in New York. Tuesday’s event at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “Exploring Baby Bonds as a Tool to Improve Economic Security,” was organized in conjunction with

Municipals were little changed Friday to close out a month that saw triple-A yields rise more than three-quarters of a point on the front end, $7.6 billion flow out of mutual funds and issuance fall by 43%. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended in the red after a month of central bank rate hikes,

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

Citing sustained progress on pension funding and debt reduction, Moody’s Investors Service Friday lifted its rating outlook on New Jersey to positive from stable, while affirming its issuer and general obligation bond ratings at A2. “The positive outlook is supported by the likelihood the state will continue its current practices for managing reserves and long-term

The U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority plans to execute a major solar energy deal in October to help insulate itself from fossil fuel price spikes. WAPA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Smith said the authority, after considering proposals from several companies, is particularly interested in two companies that would install solar panels and batteries

Municipals were slightly weaker in spots Thursday while a more robust primary market provided distraction again as the New York Urban Development Corp. sold $1.4 billion in the competitive market. U.S. Treasuries were weaker 10 years and in, and equities sold off. Outflows from municipal bond mutual funds intensified as investors pulled $3.601 billion out

Municipal triple-A yield curves saw another round of cuts Tuesday amid elevated secondary selling pressure, pushing one-year munis to end the session above 3%. U.S. Treasuries and equities saw losses after more hawkish Fed speak and a continued global bond rout. Triple-A yields rose by as many as seven to eight basis points across the

Under the oversight of a state review board, the troubled finances of West Haven, Connecticut, are moving in the right direction, according to Moody’s Investors Service, which last week affirmed the city’s Baa3 general obligation bond rating after a two-month review. Financial mismanagement and federal corruption charges have dogged the New Haven suburb, which is

The Senate Tuesday advanced a government funding bill ahead of a midnight Friday deadline that includes disaster aid for the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, Hurricane Ian’s looming landfall in Florida and other natural disasters. The bill advanced after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., agreed to drop his controversial provision to speed up permitting on

Highlighted by Hurricane Ian, which wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and now threatens Florida, the U.S. public power sector faces challenges that are unprecedented but not insurmountable, according to speakers at a recent annual public power community conference in Manhattan. Inflation, the reliability of power grids and the impact of environmental social and governance requirements

With federal approval in hand, states are poised to begin work on the buildout of a 75,000-mile, coast-to-coast national electric vehicle charging network. The U.S. Department of Transportation Tuesday gave approval to the final 17 states’ EV charging station plans, and announced that now all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have

Edward Bedore steered Chicago’s finances under both mayors with the Daley name, had a hand in milestone city projects and spearheaded creation of the Chicago Summer Business Institute to give inner city students an introduction to finance careers. He died earlier this month. He was 84.   Bedore served several stints with the city, first as

Meredith Hathorn will be taking over for Patrick Brett as chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Oct. 1, bringing her nearly forty years of public finance experience to the role. “What I really want to do is highlight the value of being an SRO (self-regulatory organization), and continuing to earn the public trust,” said

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said he backs raising rates by a further 1.25 percentage points by the end of this year to counter inflation that has been worse than he expected. “The lack of progress thus far has me thinking much more now that we have to get to a moderately

Municipals were mixed Wednesday as a large primary calendar led by deals from the Texas Water Development Board and state of Illinois took the focus away from the secondary, while outflows ramped up to $2.7 billion, the largest figure since late June. U.S. Treasuries rallied hard with yields falling up to a quarter-point and equities

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain said she would approve a three-pronged approach to advancing the more than five-year-old Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy with a plan confirmation due by June 2023. Swain said there should be litigation on two key issues, the development of a plan of adjustment with several versions, and

Massachusetts plans to bring $2.7 billion of taxable business-tax backed special obligation revenue bonds with a social designation, marking the largest environmental, social and governance deal to date in the municipal market. The deal is also one of the larger taxable deals in 2022 in a year that has seen a significant drop in taxable

Los Angeles International Airport received a $50 million grant from the federal infrastructure bill for terminal road improvements, among the largest dispersed from the $1 billion allocated to 85 airports nationally. The grants are the first allotment in a five-year, $5 billion airport terminal grant program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Transportation