Bonds

Kroll Bond Rating Agency revised the outlook on New Jersey’s general obligation bonds to positive from stable and affirmed the state’s GO rating at A. Additionally, Kroll assigned an A-minus rating with a positive outlook to the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority’s $750 million of Series 2022BB transportation program bonds selling next week. KBRA

Municipal secondary selling pressure remained elevated on bonds inside 10 years while the larger primary got underway and deals saw bumps in repricings as U.S. Treasuries made small gains and equities rallied. Triple-A benchmark yields saw one to four basis point cuts while U.S. Treasuries ended the session better. Municipal to UST ratios rose slightly

Major challenges for the public finance industry abound but rising interest rates is the largest concern for business in 2022, market participants said in a Bond Buyer/Arizent Research survey. Nearly 60% of respondents said rising interest rates are their biggest worry, followed by regulatory requirements or changes at 45% and a lack of face-to-face communication

Municipal yields rose again Monday by three to six basis points on elevated selling pressure while short U.S. Treasuries saw pressure and equities ended mixed. Municipal to UST ratios rose slightly on the day’s moves. The five-year was at 50%, 67% in 10 and 78% in 30, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE

Central bankers need to speak up about economic barriers prompted by racism and the need for inclusion and diversity, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said, a response to critics who see the work as a distraction from the Fed’s main goals.  “I hear this a lot in terms of the work we

Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin announced plans Thursday to run for state controller entering an increasingly congested race. The termed-out Galperin seeks to replace State Controller Betty Yee, who also terms out this year. He throws his hat into a race that already includes Republican Lanhee Chen, a former George W. Bush White House

The United States Department of Justice on Friday told the Puerto Rico bankruptcy judge it would defend the constitutionality of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, the law governing the bankruptcy process that has been challenged by several parties. The move may slow the confirmation process of the Plan of Adjustment. U.S.

The lingering effects of federal aid should help not-for-profit hospital ratings weather the COVID-19 pandemic’s wounds even as labor shortages and other strains persist through 2022, S&P Global Ratings said. “Our view remains stable as the sector continues to weather the pandemic well — albeit with the benefit of significant federal aid,” S&P said in

The Department of the Treasury has issued its final ruling on its State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, leaving the controversial tax cut ban mandate virtually untouched as it hopes to restrict the use of stimulus funds to offset tax cuts. “Congress specified two types of ineligible uses of funds: funds may not be used

Municipals ended the week with another round of cuts to triple-A scales, moving yields higher by another five basis points, playing catch-up to the selloff in U.S. Treasuries. Muni yields rose 13 basis points across the yield curve to end the first week of 2022. The five-year UST rose 15 basis points to a high

Among the U.S. Virgin Islands government’s many problems is an economy that shrunk 24% in real terms from 2009 to 2019. The territory’s economy has continued to struggle in the past two years, with the islands’ employment down 9.5% through from February 2020 to October 2021, according to New York Federal Reserve Bank Early Benchmarked

Municipal triple-A benchmark yields rose as much as eight basis points on the short end on certain scales Thursday as U.S. Treasury yields remained elevated and equities see-sawed as more hawkish Fed speak continued. The Federal Reserve expects Omicron to fizzle in weeks, and while pandemic-related risks remain, the economy is strong and the Fed

While U.S. Treasuries and equities sold off after release of the FOMC minutes, municipals were largely unchanged on Wednesday, pointing again to a lack of primary supply to provide yield guidance as participants sit back and watch what unfolds in broader markets. The Federal Reserve’s tone has turned more hawkish in the latest meetings, “and

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration appears close to naming a Treasury Department veteran and leading voice on fighting climate-related financial risk to the top bank-regulatory job at the Federal Reserve Board. Sarah Bloom Raskin — who was the No. 2 at Treasury and a Fed governor in the Obama administration — has emerged as the

The Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District, Kentucky, is set to sell a climate certified green bond deal in the primary market next week. This may be the first time a large competitive green bond offering has been climate bond certified in Kentucky. The $225 million of tax-exempt Series 2022A sewer and drainage system

Selling pressure picked up and municipals showed some weakness for the first time since November on Tuesday following two days of rising U.S. Treasuries, but the asset class still outperformed that market’s double-digit moves to higher yields. Triple-A benchmark yield curves saw two to three basis point cuts, the largest one-day move in either direction

Jeffrey Poley has joined Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP as it opens an office in Raleigh, North Carolina, the firm announced on Tuesday. The new office is the firm’s first in the Southeast region. Poley’s practice is focused primarily on financings for hospitals, higher education institutions and continuing care retirement communities. “The opportunity to welcome

The U.S. Treasury market sold off in double-digits to start 2022 and equities were better on Monday while munis saw a softer tone, but most triple-A yield curves only saw a basis point cut in spots. Municipal to UST ratios fell on the moves in UST. The five-year was at 44%, 64% in 10 and

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s priorities for 2022 include responding to its recently released request for information on environmental, social and governance practices, updates to its EMMALabs system and further requests for comment and information in hopes of modernizing its rulebook. Unlike some recent years past, the MSRB doesn’t come into the new calendar year

Buffalo has spent generations trying to beat back its bad weather reputation. A hotel guidebook in the western New York city shows sailboats out on the water on a sunny day, with a headline that reads: “This is the Buffalo you don’t see on the Weather Channel.” But that is not the image people generally