Bonds

Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has been a long-time advocate of key public finance issues and is so far resisting calls to resign his seat in Congress. Menendez, indicted last week on federal bribery charges, has already stepped aside as chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, but his influence on financial legislation could continue

Municipal bond prices weakened again Monday as the market looked ahead to a $6.3 billion slate of sales led by two big deals from issuers in Texas and Florida. Municipals continued the selloff seen last week, with yields rising Monday by as many as 12 basis points. Treasury yields also rose while stock prices ended

New Jersey’s American Dream Mall reported a $245 million loss as costs increases outstripped modest revenue gains in 2022. According to a three-page financial document posted on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA bond disclosure website Monday, the mall, developed with help of large public financing package, reported a loss four times bigger than the

Bondholders may have actionable claims related to the sale of now-defaulted debt that financed an Arizona participant sports venue for Legacy Cares Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in May, according to a disclosure notice.  Law firm Davis & Ceriani “has concluded that there may be actionable claims related to the sale of the bonds that

Legislation that would update Internal Revenue Service rules governing debt financing for small to mid-sized manufacturers and farmers is getting a fresh push in the Senate. The Modernizing Agricultural and Manufacturing Bonds Act is sponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.   “By modernizing and clarifying the rules for aggie bonds and industrial development

Nuveen’s former longtime head of municipals John Miller has landed at New York-based First Eagle Investments, where he will oversee the firm’s debut in the municipal bond market. Miller, 56, is expected to join the firm in January, where he will set up a new muni department that will focus on junk bonds, his specialty

S&P Global Ratings said Friday it revised Pennsylvania’s credit outlook to positive from stable. At the same time, S&P affirmed its A-plus long-term rating on the state’s $10.7 billion of outstanding general obligation bonds. S&P said the outlook reflects “our view that Pennsylvania has continued to make progress toward structural budgetary balance, with positive operating

Munis were weaker Friday ahead of a larger new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasuries saw yields fall, and equities ended the trading session up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Friday was at 66%, the three-year was at 67%, the five-year at 68%, the 10-year at 71% and the 30-year at 90%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read.

Morgan Stanley’s desire for future municipal bond business from high-speed rail operator Brightline Holdings drove the bank to lie about terms of a key credit agreement, a pair of private equity firms claimed Monday in a lawsuit filed against the bank and Brightline in a New York court. Certares Management LLC and Knighthead Capital Management

Munis sold off Thursday, joining bond markets and equities in a rout after the Fed signaled that interest rates would be higher for longer. The Federal Open Market Committee held rates steady Wednesday, as expected, but signaled another hike this year. Munis were steady Wednesday but triple-A yields were cut eight to 16 basis points

An ongoing legal battle over Florida’s attempts to take over the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority isn’t showing signs of abatement. Four years after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on a bill that sought to dissolve the toll road authority, known as MDX, and replace it with the state-managed Greater Miami Expressway Agency, or GMX, both parties

Municipals were steady Wednesday as U.S. Treasuries were mixed fiollowing the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates. Equities ended the trading session down. As was expected, the FOMC held rates in a range between 5.25% and 5.50%, but the dot plot in the Summary of Economic Projections showed 12 of 19 members expect another 25-basis-point

Municipals were weaker Tuesday as triple-A yields rose in sympathy with U.S. Treasuries. Equities ended the session down ahead of the close of the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting Wednesday. Triple-A yields were cut two to seven basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose four to six basis points, pushing the two-,

Moody’s Investors Service revised the outlook on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to positive from stable “based on the significant increase in state tax support that will offset the post-COVID ridership losses and structurally balance projected budget gaps.” The positive outlook “reflects the significant improvement in MTA’s financial forecast due to the state-authorized increase

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended his state’s gasoline tax for one month as prices at the pump continue to increase. Kemp cited high fuel costs and persistent inflation when he declared a legal state of emergency last week and signed an executive order suspending Georgia’s 31.2 cents-per-gallon tax on gas and 35-cents-per-gallon tax on

California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a pair of big climate-change related announcements this weekend as Climate Week NYC kicked off in New York City. During a Sunday interview at the event, Newsom said he plans to sign into law two bills approved by state lawmakers intended to force major corporations to be more transparent about

California lawmakers ended their session Thursday with a flurry of legislation, including a bill that would allow striking workers to collect unemployment. The bill, strongly supported by labor unions, but opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce, would allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits after being on strike for two weeks. Senate Bill 799,

As the appropriations tug of war goes back and forth in Congress, municipalities are concerned about a wide range of federally-supported infrastructure projects which might end up on the chopping block. The National Association of Counties is already ringing a warning bell via a letter addressed to both chambers of Congress imploring the need  to “prioritize federal

Port and shipping industry experts discussed the past and future of New York and New Jersey’s ports at an event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York this month. The “Ports of Tomorrow” event was carried out in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Regional Plan

Municipals were a touch weaker to close out the week ahead of a smaller new-issue calendar and the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. U.S. Treasuries closed out weaker while equities were in the red. Triple-A yields rose one to three basis points, depending on the curve, while USTs rose three to four. The two-year muni-to-Treasury