Bonds

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen last week signed into law a package of bills that includes caps on spending authority for local cities and counties. Their signing follows a concerted push by Pillen to pass property tax reform by calling a special session of the legislature on July 25.  The governor’s plan originally was to secure

ICE and MarketAxess will connect their respective liquidity networks to bring greater efficiency, better execution and access to deeper liquidity to the benefit of retail, institutional and middle market investors, the firms said. In a new partnership, ICE Bonds’ automated trading system, ICE TMC, and MarketAxess’ Open Trading network will be able to communicate with

A class-action lawsuit filed Monday by Austin, Texas, property taxpayers against the city seeks the elimination of $187 million in property tax revenue allocated in the 2024 tax year for a light-rail project. The litigation is the latest salvo in a legal battle over the ability of the Austin Transit Partnership, a nonprofit corporation created

A San Diego County joint powers authority plans to issue $433.3 million in tax-exempt interim notes to provide construction financing for an advanced water purification project. The East County AWP Joint Powers Authority plans to price the notes on Sept. 4 in two parts: $369.6 million and $63.6 million. Truist Securities is senior manager and

Municipals were steady Monday as U.S. Treasuries were slightly weaker and equities ended mixed. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 62%, the three-year at 65%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 71% and the 30-year at 87%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST read. ICE Data Services had the two-year

Groundbreakings on public infrastructure projects jumped in July and are expected to accelerate later this year if the Federal Reserve begins to trim interest rates. That’s the latest update from Dodge Construction Network, which tracks construction projects across the nation from planning through groundbreaking. Its latest report highlighted a 19% increase in July from June

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech in Jackson Hole Friday removed any uncertainty of a rate cut at the Fed’s September meeting, pushing U.S. Treasury yields lower on the short end, with municipals following suit, while stocks rallied on the news. “Powell has rung the bell for the start of the cutting cycle,” said Seema

The end is near for a 52-year public-private partnership that built a managed lanes toll road project in the Houston area, with the Texas Department of Transportation announcing Friday the state intends to take over the project’s operation in October. The move came after financing for the P3 termination was cleared Thursday by the Texas

Major infrastructure improvements will aid the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s finances in the coming months and years, officials said. WAPA is under extreme financial pressure, according to board members, and its electric system revenue bonds were rated CC, before Fitch Ratings withdrew the rating in December. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved

Nevada would get its first toll road under a public-private partnership floated by the city of Sparks. State lawmakers would need to approve the move, as Nevada law currently bans fees on roads that are part of P3s. The city manager of Sparks, located just east of Reno, has proposed a 13-mile toll road that

The Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs is facing major changes in its makeup depending on the outcome of the election, especially if Chairman Sherrod Brown, D – Ohio,loses his race.    “The committee is filled with senior members, so I assume the likes of Sens. Jack Reed and Elizabeth Warren will push for

Mirroring national trends, most states in the Far West enjoyed a double-digit jump in municipal bond issuance in the first half of the year as market conditions for borrowers improved. Issuance across the nine-state region totaled $49.7 billion, up 28.3% from $38.7 billion over the same period last year, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

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

The Warren County Board of Education in Kentucky approved issuance of $87 million in general obligation bonds last week. These will be among the first GO bonds issued by a Kentucky school district since the state government passed a law allowing them to sell GOs in April, to give school districts a method to address

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

Colleges and universities face an estimated $750 billion to $950 billion in spending over the next decade for deferred maintenance, facility upgrades, and construction projects, with the growing backlog of capital needs posing “a significant credit risk” for the higher education sector, according to Moody’s Ratings.  The rating agency said underinvestment in capital assets has

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

Denver voters will consider a sales tax hike on the Nov. 5 ballot to raise about $100 million annually that could be tapped to back bonds for affordable housing. The city council voted 9-4 Monday for the 0.5% tax hike measure proposed by Mayor Mike Johnston in July to address Denver’s affordable homes shortage.  

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