Bonds

With their revenues beating expectations through stronger-than-expected tax receipts and federal pandemic aid, many states have used the extra funds to pay down unfunded pension liabilities accrued in some cases over decades, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts report on state pension systems. The combination of increased contributions and surging investment returns “has had a

Public education advocates in Arizona are pushing for a special legislative session to avoid more than $1 billion in school district budget cuts by suspending a spending limit for a second-straight year.  Democratic state lawmakers and others at a Thursday press conference said Republican Gov. Doug Ducey needs to call lawmakers back to session to

Municipals were weaker Thursday as mutual fund losses climbed another $1.4 billion, while U.S. Treasuries sold off five years and in and equities ended in the red as ongoing concerns over Fed policy hang over markets. Municipal triple-A yields rose two to three basis points while UST rose up to eight on the short end

Detroit, Chicago and San Diego are among the 26 cities and states that won federal dollars for projects that will improve the movement of freight across the country.   The popular Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) competitive grant program provides money to highway, freight and rail-related projects that eliminate bottlenecks, improve safety and have a

James Diossa, the former mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island’s smallest city, won the state’s Democratic primary election for treasurer on Tuesday. He bested Stefan Pryor, former Rhode Island commerce secretary with 55% of the vote, according to results from the local election office. The victory advances Diossa towards a Nov. 8 general election showdown

Detroit’s revenue picture brightened on the strength of income tax collections, development projects in the works, and a boost in state revenue sharing, but a potential recession and gaming trends cloud the projections adopted this week, the city said. The city now expects to close the current fiscal year with a $41 million, or 3.6%,

Municipals saw losses across the yield curve, outperforming a U.S. Treasury selloff on the front end of the curve but facing larger losses out long, while equities tumbled following a hotter-than-expected inflation report. Two- and three-year muni-UST ratios are around 64% to 67%. The five-year was at 69%, the 10-year at 82% and the 30-year

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma delivered an update on state finances Monday to attendees of The Bond Buyer’s California Public Finance conference in Los Angeles, vowing to protect bond issuance and explaining the relief package that will return some of the state’s surplus to taxpayers. She also spoke during CDIAC’s pre-conference earlier in the day.

Fitch Ratings upgraded New Jersey’s issuer default rating to A from A-minus and raised the ratings on the state’s $5.5 billion of general obligation bonds and $484 million of Garden State Preservation Trust revenue bonds that are linked to or capped by the state’s IDR. Fitch also raised the state’s qualified bond program and school

With a round of rating upgrades in hand, Illinois will hold an in-person and remote meeting with investors later this month to promote its fiscal progress ahead of its next bond sale. “The state of Illinois intends to hold an investor meeting on Wednesday, September 21st, in advance of an anticipated $700 million competitive general

The Inflation Reduction Act offers a crutch, if not exactly a lifeline, to operating nuclear plants, a sector long plagued with high debt and fixed costs that may now be poised for a rebound thanks to national clean-energy goals. The IRA, which President Biden signed into law Aug. 16, provides $30 billion in production tax

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he favors “another significant” increase in interest rates when the central bank meets later this month, signaling his backing for a 75 basis-point move. “Inflation is far too high, and it is too soon to say whether inflation is moving meaningfully and persistently downward,” Waller said in the text

A federal judge is weighing whether to dismiss the charges against Capital Market Advisors, which was municipal advisor to the City of Rochester, New York and was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for misleading investors and breaching its fiduciary duty in connection with a 2019 bond offering. Lawyers who preferred not to be

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and opponents of its plan to build bond-financed extensions will square off on Tuesday at a hearing set by the state Supreme Court. In its Aug. 10 petition to validate $500 million of second senior lien revenue bonds, OTA asked the Supreme Court to accept original jurisdiction for two lawsuits opponents

Municipals were steady Friday ahead of a new-issue calendar next week at $6.6 billion, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker five years and in and equities rallied. “While the U.S. economic data remain relatively strong, this hawkish tone continues to put pressure on Treasury rates, which have moved higher by 10-15 basis points this week, more so

For the first time since 2019, municipal bond market participants from California and beyond will gather for an in-person Bond Buyer California Public Finance conference. The in-person return follows 2020 and 2021 CalPub events held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference starts Monday and runs through Wednesday at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown

Fitch Ratings lifted Ohio’s issuer default and general obligation rating to AAA Thursday over its “fiscal resilience” bolstered by stronger reserves and cash balances. Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings rate Ohio one notch below the top mark at Aa1 and AA-plus, respectively, and both assign a stable outlook. The upgrade “reflects material strengthening

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank will not flinch in its efforts to curb inflation “until the job is done.” “We need to act now, forthrightly, strongly as we have been doing,” Powell said Thursday in remarks at the Cato Institute’s monetary policy conference in Washington. “My colleagues and I are

Cook County, Illinois, extended the deadline by one week for eligible local governments to participate in a $300 million borrowing program that provides no-interest loans to manage a months-long delay in second installment property tax collections. The bridge loan program announced in July will spare suburban taxing bodies from having to issue tax anticipation notes

In bringing trade reporting times down to 1 minute from the current requirement of 15 minutes, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s proposal to amend Rule G-14 could have a wide impact on smaller broker dealers and liquidity providers without the resources to automate these transactions. That’s according to comments the MSRB received as part of