Bonds

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bondholders objected to the Oversight Board’s proposed plan of adjustment and asked that the discovery process begin immediately. “There is no conceivable benefit to interested parties or the court from forcing all parties to sit on their hands for more than two months before plan-related discovery begins, only then to
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., introduced legislation Wednesday that would eliminate more than half of the regional Federal Reserve banks and subject the remaining banks to additional federal rules and restrictions. The bill, titled the Federal Reserve Accountability Act, would reduce the number of regional Federal Reserve banks from 12 to five; require bank presidents to
Municipals were weaker in spots Wednesday as outflows from mutual funds intensified. U.S. Treasury yields fell, and equities ended higher. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 62%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 69% and the 30-year at 93%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the three at 63%,
S&P Global Ratings lifted the University of Illinois back into the double-A category citing the flagship public university’s surpluses and healthier state government finances that reduce the threat of aid cuts. S&P last week raised the rating to AA-minus from A-plus. The upgrade impacts auxiliary facilities system revenue bonds and certifications of participation. The university
Municipals were weaker by a basis point or two Monday, while U.S. Treasuries saw larger losses across the curve and equities ended down following continued central bank assertions on raising rates. “U.S. stocks were unable to hold onto gains as recession worries run wild and as global bond yields surge higher after former Fed’s Dudley
States have never spent more money, as general fund spending for all states topped $1.08 trillion for fiscal year 2022, an 18.3% increase over FY 2021 levels and the highest annual growth ever recorded by the National Association of State Budget Officers’ Fiscal Survey since its inception in 1979. That’s due to a number of
The clock is ticking on Congress waiving PAYGO for Build America Bonds, a budget bear trap that could delay promised subsidy payments totaling $14 billion to issuers. The dilemma has been a constant irritant to the muni market issuers who have based their budgets on promises of getting reimbursed by the federal government for bonds
An Oklahoma legislator has once again filed a bill prohibiting government contracts with companies, including banks that underwrite municipal bonds, if they “discriminate” against the firearm industry. Republican State Sen. Casey Murdock authored a similar bill that fell short of passage in the 2022 legislative session. “The bill actually had wide margins of support in
In an attempt to further sever the state’s financial ties with businesses that have divested from the fossil fuel industry, Kentucky lawmakers are mulling new anti-ESG investment regulations. Attorney General David Cameron affirmed his support for expanding disclosure rules for environmental, social, and governance-related investments by major banks and businesses, and giving the state wider
The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a new Regulation Best Execution that would establish a best execution standard, mandating that dealers in any transaction with a customer or a customer of another broker-dealer use reasonable diligence to determine the best market for the security and buy or sell so that the price is as
Short-end municipals saw continued pressure Wednesday, further inverting the muni curve, while Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s hawkish comments sent traders digesting the Fed’s next moves after the Federal Open Market Committee hiked rates 50 basis points. U.S. Treasuries ended the session slightly better after see-sawing post-FOMC and equities closed with losses. In his post-FOMC meeting
Walgreens and CVS agreed to a $10.7 billion settlement, the third large monetary agreement forced by a coalition of state attorneys general seeking redress from the opioid addiction crisis. The agreement resolves allegations that both national pharmacy chains contributed to the nation’s opioid addiction crisis by failing to oversee how medications were distributed. Under the