Bonds

Chicago priced $229.265 million of second lien wastewater transmission revenue bonds Thursday in a refunding deal that saw spreads tighten from the last time the issuer was in the market. This is the second wastewater deal since the city saw an upgrade in April 2023 when S&P Global Ratings raised the second lien for both

Fitch Ratings’ new U.S. local government rating criteria is expected to lead to changes to about 550 ratings in the next six months. Fitch adopted the new criteria — which will affect cities, counties, school districts, and special districts — after working on the revision since the fall. The criteria will also be used to

In a move to help local schools across Kentucky deal with rising inflation and soaring building costs, the Legislature has passed a bill to let the districts directly issue general obligation bonds. “Construction inflation has created unprecedented infrastructure challenges for our public schools,” said Rep. Michael Meredith, R-District 19, who sponsored the bill. “HB 727

Munis saw a weaker tone Wednesday as muni yields were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, marking a second day of selling pressure, as few deals priced in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer across most of the curve and equities were mixed. “Much like other periods in recent years

Municipals played catch up to U.S. Treasury weakness and sold off Tuesday as supply pressure and secondary selling caught up to the asset class. Equities ended down. Triple-A yields rose seven to 12 basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs yields rose up to four basis points. Before Tuesday’s selloff, muni yields have been

The bankruptcy of Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital is closer to an end with the resolution last week of a dispute between the committee of unsecured creditors, which had filed a complaint on March 25, and trustee Computershare Trust and bondholder representative Preston Hollow Community Capital.  The plan support agreement reached raised the estimated dollar amount

Private activity bonds issued for Los Angeles International Airport’s multi-billion-dollar people mover project were affirmed at junk by Fitch Ratings last week as the public-private project’s completion date was pushed out another six months. Fitch affirmed the speculative-grade BB-plus rating on California Municipal Finance Authority’s $1.2 billion senior lien revenue bonds issued on behalf of

Munis were little changed Monday as U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities ended mixed. Following the conclusion of the first quarter, munis are seeing losses for the year with the asset class returning negative 0.39% for the year and March returns were at 0.00%, noted Jason Wong, vice president of municipals at AmeriVet Securities. The

With tax season in full swing, the muni market is underperforming and facing selling pressure as investors move out of short-term paper to pay tax blls. However, these dynamics have not made the asset class an undesirable option for investors and most expect demand to remain strong. Munis are returning negative 0.06% month-to-date, while USTs

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted 11-1 to adopt its congestion pricing toll structure, the first of its kind in the nation and a key source of funding for the MTA’s upcoming capital projects. The vote will allow congestion pricing to be implemented as planned in mid-June. However, the congestion pricing plan is

New Yorkers are feeling less satisfied and more uneasy today than they were only six years ago, according to a survey done by the Citizens Budget Commission. The results of the CBC’s 2023 Resident Survey released March 19 reveals that Big Apple residents rate their quality of life much lower than they did in a

A Colorado bonding authority is taking a step toward purchasing a hotel tied to author Stephen King’s The Shining after an Arizona nonprofit dropped its bond-financed plan to buy and renovate the property.  The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority (CECFA), which would have been the conduit issuer for up to $475 million of cultural

A proposed $2 billion public private partnership that would have moved two major league sports teams out of Washington D.C. and into a bond-financed, built-from-scratch arena in Northern Virginia is officially off, following an announcement that the District has come to terms on a deal to keep the teams in their current home. On Wednesday,

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green claims the state is making headway toward reducing recovery costs by getting people displaced by fires out of hotels and into permanent housing. Green has faced criticism from lawmakers for not having a cogent housing plan or coherent budget for the costs associated with the August 8 Lahaina wildfires. Lawmakers are

Municipals were steady to weaker in spots Thursday ahead of a smaller new-issue calendar while municipal bond mutual funds saw more inflows. U.S. Treasury yields rose 10 years and in and equities ended mixed. LSEG Lipper reported fund inflows of $447 million for the week ending Wednesday following $63.8 million of inflows the prior week.

The Purdue University Trustees priced $72.43 million of student fee bonds Tuesday, joining other issuers in refunding some of the university’s outstanding Build America Bonds. Lead managers Jefferies and Ramirez & Co. priced the deal Wednesday, with Wells Fargo Securities serving as co-manager. The municipal advisor is Blue Rose Capital Advisors. Bond counsel is Ice

Investors and credit rating agencies are weighing how much effect the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore’s inner harbor will have on the local economy and logistics on the East Coast, though early indications suggest no drastic credit impact. Early Tuesday morning the Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali lost power and crashed into a

Municipals were mixed Wednesday, but selling pressure was evident on the short end, as few deals of size priced in the primary market and balances from Tuesday’s large new-issues were digested. Munis underperformed a stronger U.S. Treasury market while equities ended up. Despite weakness Wednesday and Tuesday, munis have “held in pretty well,” with yields

Houston would be able to accommodate the cost of a proposed settlement with its firefighters in the near term, but will need a revenue boost to prevent a structural budget gap from growing, City Controller Chris Hollins said Tuesday. Hollins, who took office in January, said he will have to certify if funds are available

A massive new-issue slate was the focus Tuesday, with investors digesting three large general obligation deals out of California, New York City and Washington, amid lighter but slightly weaker secondary trading. The onslaught of new-issuance and approaching month- and quarter-end led triple-A yields to rise up to seven basis points on the short end and