Bonds

Municipals were little changed Thursday as U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended down. This year’s summer technical picture has been stronger than 2023, said AllianceBernstein strategists. Total returns for June through August last year were –0.04%, with August wiping out June and July gains as UST yields “jumped” and muni yields moved higher, they

Regulators are once again receiving pushback from dealer groups for continued efforts to move to a one-minute trade reporting standard, where criticisms range from questioning why such a proposal could ever work in fixed income markets to begin with, to constructive advice on how to further strengthen the exceptions they have proposed. This recent round

Municipals were mixed in secondary trading, as $1.8 billion of GOs from New York City came to market in two series, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended up. Several Federal Open Market Committee members saw a case to cut interest rates by 25 basis points in July, according to minutes of the July

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell’s much-anticipated speech at the Jackson Hole symposium should offer clues about the Fed’s thinking ahead of its September meeting, but with limits. “Fed watchers will be parsing Powell’s comments for signs that a 50bp rate cut is on the table for September,” noted Lauren Saidel-Baker, an economist with ITR

Municipals were firmer Tuesday as several of the week’s $12 billion calendar began pricing, led by New York City’s $1.5 billion being offered to retail investors, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities saw losses on the day. Triple-A yields fell by two to eight basis points depending on the curve, with the best performance

Legislation pending in Congress that would limit the issuance of tax-exempt municipal bonds from states without so-called school choice laws illustrates the risk facing the municipal market’s prized exemption from agendas that are unrelated to state and local financing. With Congress set to take up major tax reform next year, many market participants fear that

Constructive secondary trading and a firmer tone were evident Monday as munis took cues from calmer markets overall. Triple-A yield curves saw small improvement, particularly on the short end, with bumps of one to two basis points, while Treasuries were better out longer. With two weeks of market swings in the rearview, and some further

The sponsors of a $20 billion bond measure to fund affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area have removed it from the November ballot. A statement announcing the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency’s decision to withdraw the measure indicated doubt about its ability to garner the necessary two-thirds supermajority from voters in the nine-county

Municipals were slightly better on the short end Friday, reversing some of Thursday’s losses, while U.S. Treasuries made small gains across the curve and equities were up near the close. Triple-A yields closed out the week on better footing by one to three basis points, albeit in light secondary trading, ahead of a much larger

The letters are flying in the partisan debate over environmental, social and governance issues. A group of 20 state attorneys general led by Florida have slammed the U.S. Treasury Department’s recent warning against some state banking laws that the department said could undermine national security. In the Aug. 1 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen,

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday called a special legislative session for Aug. 26 on further property tax cuts to circumvent proposed ballot initiatives that could negatively impact public financing and education and local government funding in the state. The Democratic governor said “the cost of inaction is too high” and pledged he won’t sign into

Insurance fraud charges against Austin Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos that were not related to his job were dropped by law enforcement in Texas, the school superintendent announced Thursday.  Ramos, who joined the district as CFO in August 2021, resigned eight days before his July 31 arrest after which he was placed

Missouri’s Kansas City Public Schools is looking to take its modernization plan to voters and seek approval for a $474 million general obligation bond measure next April.  The district plans to devote $424 million of the bond proceeds to facilities upgrades for KCPS schools and $50 million to participating charter schools, according to Shain Bergan,

Last month, California became the first state to win funds from the Department of Energy’s prominent program to create a series of regional hydrogen hubs to kickstart a new national energy economy. The California Hydrogen Hub received an initial $30 million to begin planning and design phase and will eventually receive up to $1.2 billion

Municipals felt the pressure of a U.S. Treasury market selloff, but outperformed their taxable counterparts, after better economic data sent investors flocking to equities in a risk-on trade. Triple-A yields rose two to four basis points, depending on the yield curve, while UST saw losses of up to 15 basis points on the short end,

Underwriting spreads for all bonds surged in the first half of 2024, rising above $7 for the first time in 25 years. Underwriting spreads rose to $7.11 in the first half of 2024 from $3.70 in the first half of 2023. Spreads on negotiated bonds rose to $6.55 in 1H 2024 from $3.78 in 1H

Municipal bonds improved Wednesday as attention turned to the primary market with Chicago coming off the sidelines to price its delayed general obligation bond deal along with deals from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Las Vegas Valley Water Department. U.S. Treasuries and equities closed the session mixed following

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the state of Missouri laid out their arguments in court Tuesday in a lawsuit over the state’s year-old environmental, social and governance investment rules.   Judge Stephen Bough of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri peppered the parties with questions, often based on his

Municipal yields fell Tuesday as the primary kicked into gear, while munis underperformed an improved U.S. Treasury market as equities rallied after inflation data came in softer than expected. Triple-A municipal curves saw bumps of two to four basis points with the better performance on the short end while Treasuries improved by four to eight

The Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) passed by Congress in December 2022 mandated the use of a common, non-proprietary legal entity identifier for municipal issuers. Although Congress’ legislative intent continues to be a matter of debate, we argue that any implementation of this new mandate will have to satisfy a basic market need: the correct