Bonds

Guam’s governor approved a fiscal 2023 general fund net budget 14.4% larger than the current one, as revenues continue to exceed forecasts, offering some financial flexibility. Guam Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero signed the legislature-delivered budget earlier this week, but warned lawmakers about planning uses for excess revenues before an audit. In a memo to Legislature

James Diossa, the former mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island’s smallest city, won the state’s Democratic primary election for treasurer on Tuesday. He bested Stefan Pryor, former Rhode Island commerce secretary with 55% of the vote, according to results from the local election office. The victory advances Diossa towards a Nov. 8 general election showdown

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Chicago-based broker-dealer Loop Capital with providing advice to a municipal entity without registering as a municipal advisor, the first time the Commission has charged a broker-dealer for violating the municipal advisor registration rule. The charges come a day after the SEC charged four underwriters in a first-of its-kind

Municipals saw losses across the yield curve, outperforming a U.S. Treasury selloff on the front end of the curve but facing larger losses out long, while equities tumbled following a hotter-than-expected inflation report. Two- and three-year muni-UST ratios are around 64% to 67%. The five-year was at 69%, the 10-year at 82% and the 30-year

Australian toll road operator Atlas Arteria Group has agreed to spend $2 billion to buy a 67% stake in the long-term lease of the Chicago Skyway. If the transaction closes, it would mark the third time the toll road asset has changed hands since the city of Chicago first sold the 99-year lease in 2005

Fitch Ratings upgraded New Jersey’s issuer default rating to A from A-minus and raised the ratings on the state’s $5.5 billion of general obligation bonds and $484 million of Garden State Preservation Trust revenue bonds that are linked to or capped by the state’s IDR. Fitch also raised the state’s qualified bond program and school

Fiscal 2022 brought robust revenue growth for Texas and other Southwest states, leading to record budget balances and calls for tax cuts. State coffers across the United States benefited as increased prices for goods and services boosted sales tax collections, while rising wages and employment lifted income tax revenue. Preliminary data from 45 states showed

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and opponents of its plan to build bond-financed extensions will square off on Tuesday at a hearing set by the state Supreme Court. In its Aug. 10 petition to validate $500 million of second senior lien revenue bonds, OTA asked the Supreme Court to accept original jurisdiction for two lawsuits opponents

Municipals were steady Friday ahead of a new-issue calendar next week at $6.6 billion, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker five years and in and equities rallied. “While the U.S. economic data remain relatively strong, this hawkish tone continues to put pressure on Treasury rates, which have moved higher by 10-15 basis points this week, more so

A federal judge is weighing whether to dismiss the charges against Capital Market Advisors, which was municipal advisor to the City of Rochester, New York and was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for misleading investors and breaching its fiduciary duty in connection with a 2019 bond offering. Lawyers who preferred not to be

The Inflation Reduction Act offers a crutch, if not exactly a lifeline, to operating nuclear plants, a sector long plagued with high debt and fixed costs that may now be poised for a rebound thanks to national clean-energy goals. The IRA, which President Biden signed into law Aug. 16, provides $30 billion in production tax

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he favors “another significant” increase in interest rates when the central bank meets later this month, signaling his backing for a 75 basis-point move. “Inflation is far too high, and it is too soon to say whether inflation is moving meaningfully and persistently downward,” Waller said in the text

With a round of rating upgrades in hand, Illinois will hold an in-person and remote meeting with investors later this month to promote its fiscal progress ahead of its next bond sale. “The state of Illinois intends to hold an investor meeting on Wednesday, September 21st, in advance of an anticipated $700 million competitive general

Fitch Ratings lifted Ohio’s issuer default and general obligation rating to AAA Thursday over its “fiscal resilience” bolstered by stronger reserves and cash balances. Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings rate Ohio one notch below the top mark at Aa1 and AA-plus, respectively, and both assign a stable outlook. The upgrade “reflects material strengthening

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) will head to the municipal market next week with a $667 million tax-exempt revenue refunding bond issue after receiving a rating upgrade from S&P Global Ratings and a positive outlook from Moody’s Investors Service. Horatio Porter, NTTA’s chief financial officer, said the tollway has rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic,

Cook County, Illinois, extended the deadline by one week for eligible local governments to participate in a $300 million borrowing program that provides no-interest loans to manage a months-long delay in second installment property tax collections. The bridge loan program announced in July will spare suburban taxing bodies from having to issue tax anticipation notes

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announced Wednesday that Saima S. Ahmed has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel of the organization, a key legal position for one of the muni industry’s leading advocacy groups. She will be leading a team of lawyers focused on compliance, litigation, and regulatory issues while overseeing

Municipals were weaker to kick off the holiday-shortened week, but outperformed a U.S. Treasury selloff that saw the 30-year UST yield hit just shy of 3.5%, while equities saw losses. Triple-A benchmark yields rose up to seven basis points, while UST yields rose 11 to 15 bps with the largest losses on the long bonds,

The Puerto Rico economic activity index has fallen three of the past four months on a month-to-month basis but remains above year-ago levels. The Puerto Rico Economic Development Bank said July’s index reading of 124.2 was down 0.1% from June and 1.1% from the March reading of 125.6, which was the highest since COVID-19 hit

An Alabama ballot measure would allow local governments to use voter-approved special tax authority that is now reserved for bonds to finance projects on a pay-as-you-go basis. Amendment 6 is one of twelve proposed changes to the state constitution voters will decide Nov. 8. Backers said it would give municipal officials the option to finance