Bonds

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced administrative actions and legislative proposals that are aimed at “protecting residents from the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement.” Saying ESG threatens the vitality of the American economy and economic freedom by targeting disfavored individuals and industries to advance what it calls a woke ideological agenda, DeSantis is proposing legislation
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Municipals were firmer following the Fed’s decision to hike rates another 75 basis points, while U.S. Treasuries rallied on the short end and equities ended up. Despite this being another “outsize rate increase” of 75 basis points, Brian Coulton, chief economist for Fitch Ratings, said “the Fed has still only raised interest rates back into
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Taxable municipal issuance has plummeted this year as the shock of rising interest rates made the financing vehicle less enticing for issuers, both economically and psychologically.  From becoming a replacement for tax-exempt advance refundings lost to 2017 tax law changes to broadening the investor base for munis, taxables have played a larger role in the
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The Securities and Exchange Commission’s four enforcement actions this year were all leveled against municipal issuers, a signal that the Commission could be taking a more holistic approach when looking at municipal securities violations. This year, the Commission has charged issuers and related officials from Rochester, New York, Crosby Independent School District in Harris County,
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The mediators handling the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority mediation asked Wednesday for the deadline to be extended from Aug. 1 until Aug. 15.  Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain had set 11:59 p.m. Aug. 1 as the deadline for the Oversight Board to achieve a proposed plan of adjustment, a plan term sheet,
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Municipals were firmer Tuesday ahead of the conclusion of the July Federal Open Market Committee meeting where a three-quarter point rate hike is likely, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities sold off. Triple-A curves saw yields fall up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while U.S. Treasuries rose up to three basis
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The top bond counsel firms combined for a total of $200.965 billion in 4,673 transactions during the first half of the year, down from the $222.162 billion in 6,177 deals over the same period in 2021. Only two firms remained in the same spot at this point last year: Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Norton
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The U.S. Treasury curve remains inverted — a historical signal of a recession on the horizon — deepening the challenge that Federal Reserve faces to control inflation without pushing a weakening economy into recession, as traders position ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee’s rate hike decision Wednesday. The municipal market has been quiet this
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Public finance attorney, tax expert and National Association of Bond Lawyers board member Johnny Hutchinson has left Squire Patton Bogg’s Houston office to join Nixon Peabody as a partner. Hutchinson has extensive experience with private activity bond financings, federally tax-advantaged debt transactions, defending issuers and borrowers against Internal Revenue Service audits, helping clients resolve tax
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Issuers and borrowers should watch out for phishing scams in their communications with the IRS’ Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, as there have been instances in recent months of scammers posing as IRS representatives. John Stanley, a tax and public finance partner at Orrick and Joseph Santiesteban, private and data innovation partner at Orrick,
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Tribal governments pay 22% to 87% higher borrowing costs on municipal bonds compared to state and local entities, according to a new paper presented at the Brookings Institution Municipal Finance Conference.  The resulting increases in annual interest payments for average tribal issuers range from $79,000 to $310,000 greater than their nontribal counterparts, according to the
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A senior U.S. Republican lawmaker accused China of a broad campaign to obtain confidential information from the Federal Reserve, including recruiting central bank staffers and detaining a Fed employee visiting Shanghai. The report, from Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, said the Fed’s own investigations had identified several employees with connections to Chinese talent recruiters, as well
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Municipals were little changed Monday while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities were mixed near the close. With a steady muni yield curve and weaker USTs, muni to UST ratios on Monday fell slightly. They were at 67% in five years, 85% in 10 years and 98% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3
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Cleveland heads into the market this week with an upgrade helped along by its decision to tap surpluses to bolster reserve levels. Moody’s Investors Service raised the city’s rating to Aa3 from A1 while S&P Global Ratings affirmed its AA-plus. Both assign a stable outlook.Moody’s action recognizes a “strengthening of fund balance and liquidity,” analysts
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President Joe Biden has nominated Shailen Bhatt, a former state transportation official with public-private partnership experience, to lead the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA has been without an administrator since Biden took office. Deputy director Stephanie Pollack, who has been leading the department, reportedly did not want the top spot. If the Senate confirms the
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Puerto Rico general fund net revenue for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022 was 12.8% above the Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s most recent projection. In the July 2021 to May 2022 period revenue was also 16.8% above the same months a year earlier, according to information released Friday. Puerto Rico’s general fund revenue
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