Bonds

Municipal high-grade benchmarks were little changed for the fourth day as U.S. Treasuries improved, as did equities, and Refinitiv Lipper reported heavy high-yield inflows. Fund inflows continue to be in positive territory with Refinitiv reporting $725 million of total inflows into municipal bond mutual funds for the week ending May 19. High-yield funds made up

The Illinois Supreme Court quashed litigation seeking to declare more than $14 billion of the state’s general obligation bonds invalid. The justices in a unanimous 13-page opinion Thursday affirmed the 2019 circuit court decision that denied John Tillman, who is head of a conservative policy group but acted on his own as a taxpayer, permission

Municipal benchmarks were unchanged top to bottom Wednesday as investors focused on the robust primary offerings, underwriters repriced bonds to lower yields while issuers saw good demand in the competitive markets as munis largely ignored FOMC taper talk and the weakness in U.S. Treasuries that followed the news. Discussions about tapering asset purchases could soon

Puerto Rico is likely to return to long-run economic contraction after a spurt of economic activity largely driven by coronavirus aid from Washington. Puerto Rico economists say the island’s economy is expanding and will continue that way for a period of one or two years, but some say it is not sustainable. Intelligencía Económica President

Municipal benchmark yields continued to trade in a narrow range in the secondary Tuesday while the new-issue market came alive with two high-grade competitive loans and speculative-grade Guam pricing bonds to strong demand. U.S. Treasuries gave little direction and the market held steady to firmer in spots as a diverse set of deals got done

A revival of direct-pay Build America Bonds received bipartisan support Tuesday from the Democratic chairman and ranking Republican of the Senate Finance Committee. Other senators and the witnesses also advocated restoration of tax-exempt advance refundings and an expansion of private activity bonds as lawmakers explored options for financing infrastructure. Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., opened the

Municipals were quietly traded with some strength outside 10 years as investors await the larger new-issue calendar that begins with a retail order period Tuesday from Connecticut and competitive loans from West Virginia and high-grade Prince George’s County, Maryland. Municipal benchmarks were little changed, with a basis point bump on Refinitiv MMD’s scale outside 2031

Municipals held steady to slightly firmer in spots Friday after flat retail sales moved U.S. Treasuries stronger while equities gained back mid-week losses. Despite the slight pressure from economic data and overall market volatility, municipals continue to hold their own place in the capital markets. In the current environment, muni technicals are “simply overpowering,” said

Connecticut will bring three rating upgrades to the table when it comes to market with a $1 billion exempt and taxable general obligation deal set for Wednesday. Fitch Ratings on Friday lifted Connecticut to AA-minus from A-plus. The action “reflects enhancements to the state’s fiscal management practices in recent years that are materially increasing the

California Gov. Gavin Newsom capped a week of daily multi-billion dollar additions to his proposed $267.8 billion budget Friday with a plan to bring universal broadband to the state and expand Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants over the age of 60. The governor began the week by declaring the state will a $75.7 billion surplus and

The Federal Reserve’s policy is in a good place right now, said Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester, while playing down signals from data that she warns will be volatile as the economy reopens. “The volatility month-to-month I think is something we should expect, Mester said Friday in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “We’re really at

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board voted to overrule the territory’s House of Representatives on spending for the privatization of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority transmission and distribution system. On Wednesday the House voted 43 to 0 with 2 abstentions against authorizing a revision to this year’s General Fund budget allocating $750 million for the

As Colorado lawmakers seek a long-term source of transportation funding, the Centennial State is issuing $500 million of certificates of participation for rural highway projects. This week’s deal, scheduled to price Wednesday, is part of $2 billion authorized by the 2017 legislature under Senate Bill 17-267 for projects through fiscal 2022. The financing will go

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board appears poised to do away with a requirement that dealers provide disclosures to customers who may not be invested in municipals, a request industry groups have been making for years. The MSRB requested comment May 14 on potential changes to Rules G-10 on investor and municipal advisory client education and

Connecticut officials enter this week’s $1 billion general obligation bond sale armed with four upgrades in six weeks, including three within two days last week. Fitch Ratings on Friday upgraded the state’s GO rating to AA-minus. One day earlier, Kroll Bond Rating Agency and S&P Global Ratings elevated Connecticut to AA and A-plus, respectively. Moody’s

A new annual fee for electric cars and light trucks could become part of a bipartisan deal between congressional Republicans and the White House on a larger infrastructure package. Although the fee would only be a small revenue producer over the next few years, electric vehicles, also known as EVs, are a fast growing segment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered the partial closure of the largest private sector employer in the U.S. Virgin Islands for at least 60 days because of public health risks. The EPA on Friday told the Limetree Bay Terminals and Limetree Bay Refining on St. Croix to stop refining oil because it is leading to

U.S. employers added the most jobs in seven months with improvement across most industries in March, as more vaccinations and fewer business restrictions supercharged the labor market recovery. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 last month and February employment was revised up to a 468,000 gain, according to a Labor Department report Friday. The unemployment rate

The United States Supreme Court on Thursday ruled unanimously for Georgia over Florida in a dispute about how the Apalachicola River Basin’s water should be divided up between them. Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered the opinion. It was not the first time the Supreme Court heard arguments about the case. In 2018 it sent the

Municipals were little changed Wednesday with a firm tone as few deals priced, more inflows were reported and markets began digesting President Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure plan. The $2 trillion proposal, combined with the shortened week and the arrival of the second quarter, are overshadowing the market, according to Anthony Valeri, director of investment management