Bonds

Facing a $22.5 billion shortfall in fiscal 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reverse plans outlined in this year’s budget to cash-fund some capital projects. Using debt financing would allow for more flexibility in the 2023-24 budget, according to the preliminary budget proposal Newsom introduced Tuesday. “We had a $73 billion surplus in fiscal

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said she’s leaning toward supporting a quarter-point interest rate hike at the central bank’s next meeting ending Feb. 1 as officials near a peak in borrowing costs. Downshifting to a smaller move from the more aggressive rate increases the Fed rolled out last year would give officials

House Republicans Tuesday tapped Missouri Rep. Sam Graves as chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The move was expected, as Graves has served as the committee’s ranking Republican for four years, where he worked alongside now-retired former chair Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. The T&I committee has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation, including roads,

Municipals were slightly firmer in spots, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 58%, the five-year at 61%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year at 89%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s final 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had the three at 58%, the five at

Jamie Dimon said the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes might need to go beyond what’s currently expected, but he’s in favor of a pause to see the full impact of last year’s increases. There’s a 50% chance current expectations are correct in assuming the Fed will boost its benchmark rate to about 5%, and a 50%

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s $36 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 seeks to raise capital spending without adding debt and bolster reserves. McMaster told lawmakers in a letter last week he wants to take full advantage of the state’s unexpected $3.8 billion budget surplus ahead of a potential recession. “South Carolina’s booming economy

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s search for a new president is coming down to the wire. Esther George, the bank’s current president and CEO, turns 65 on Sunday, a milestone that triggers her mandatory retirement, according to Federal Reserve System rules. With just a matter of days left before that marker is reached,

A federal judge’s dismissal of former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s request that the state stop spending federal relief money on schools that do not have mask mandates won’t impact the state’s other litigation related to clawbacks of relief money used for tax cuts. The move follows Ducey’s motion for dismissal,

The crisis that has engulfed Republican House leadership this week, whatever the outcome, could complicate the public finance agenda in the 118th Congress. For issuers, an emergent ultra-conservative influence in the House could raise the risk of a government shutdown and bring fresh scrutiny to key topics like the so-called PAYGO waiver for tax subsidies,

Chicago sent a $242 million supplemental payment to its pension systems, making good on a funding policy adopted as part of the 2023 budget that helped lift its one junk rating back into investment-grade territory. Efforts to better align expenses with recurring revenues, shed one-time maneuvers like scoop-and-toss debt restructuring, and complete a move to

In her inaugural address, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey affirmed her administration’s commitment to overhauling the state’s public transportation infrastructure. “The state of our trains and roads and bridges today is unacceptable,” Healey said Thursday, adding there was an “urgency” for capital development of the state’s neglected transportation infrastructure as she took office. Her plan calls

Municipal yields fell Friday ahead of a heavier new-issue calendar while U.S. Treasuries and equities rallied after the latest jobs report offered signs that may suggest inflation will be cooling. Triple-A benchmark yields fell six to 15 basis points, depending on the scale, pushing the 10-year muni below 2.50% and the 30-year muni below 3.50%.

Two Ballard Spahr attorneys with public finance and infrastructure roles have been promoted to the of counsel level. Stephanie S. Kim and Katie Leesman, both of the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, were elevated, Chair Mark Stewart said Thursday. Kim, in the firm’s public finance practice, serves as bond counsel, lender’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, borrower’s counsel,

Municipals were mixed Thursday in the secondary market as a $765 million deal from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority took focus in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were weaker 10 years and in, and equities ended lower. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 59%, the five-year at 63%, the 10-year at 69% and the 30-year

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George said the U.S. central bank should raise its benchmark interest rate above 5% and hold it there well into 2024 to bring inflation down. “I have raised my forecast over 5%,” George said Thursday in an interview on CNBC television, referring to her projection for the

Munis rallied Wednesday as outflows lessened and U.S. Treasury yields fell in lockstep even as minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee meeting showed participants agreeing rate cuts are not expected in 2023. Equities ended up. Triple-A benchmark yields were bumped four to 15 basis points, depending on the curve, while U.S. Treasury yields fell

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is now accepting applications for four positions on its board of directors for the 2024 fiscal year and will be accepting applications until Feb. 6. The board will elect two public members and hopes that one of them will be an investor in municipal securities, either institutional or retail. The

Passenger counts at the three Port Authority of New York and New Jersey airports were higher in November than in November 2019, marking the first month they beat a pre-pandemic comparison. Air travel was up 2% when compared to the same time period in 2019, as Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport,

Most analysts are willing to commit to a slowdown in inflation in 2023, but a recession remains a trickier call.  “I think the bond market is right, a recession is coming,” said Liz Young, head of investment strategy at SoFi, “and the economic indicators reinforce that message.” The debate over the likelihood of a recession

The Army Corps of Engineers approved a wetlands work permit for the land in Georgia where electric vehicle maker Rivian plans a 16-million-foot battery and vehicle production plant. Over the last few months, the Corps and federal and state environmental agencies led a review of Rivian’s plans for a factory on 2000 acres of rural