Bonds

The nearly $1 trillion of federal pandemic aid that flowed to state and local governments over the last two years helped stave off massive job losses but public sector job recovery has been slow and remains anemic compared to other sectors. That’s according to a paper on the effectiveness of federal pandemic relief presented Monday

Michigan’s new budget package provides an $11 million lifeline that will stave off the looming closure of Sturgis Hospital as it works on a long-term fix for its weakened fiscal health that left the city on the hook to cover a recent lease payment related to debt service. The City of Sturgis Building Authority in

Municipals were little changed Monday as investors awaited a larger new-issue calendar that kicks off with $800 million-plus Washington general obligation bonds in the competitive market Tuesday. Munis ignored the moves to higher yields in U.S. Treasuries while equities were down. Triple-A yields were steady while USTs moved three to eight basis points higher. Muni

After dancing with default on a June municipal bond payment, the owners of American Dream megamall in New Jersey face an Aug. 1 payment on another set of tax-exempts. Two separate municipal bond offerings sold through conduit Public Finance Authority helped finance the mall. The largest, $800 million of limited obligation PILOT revenue bonds, stumbled

Investors are continuing their flight from mutual fund investments, as individual investors and tax-exempt exchange traded funds take up more of the market share. That’s according to a recent mid-year market update from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. “The supply/demand equation changed rapidly, as mutual funds, the largest buyer of municipal bonds, especially in the

The Texas laws that bar underwriters with discriminatory policies against the oil and firearms industries may force municipalities to face higher borrowing costs as a result of less competition among underwriters. That’s according to a new paper that was dissected during the Brookings Institution’s 11th annual Municipal Finance Conference Monday. Its authors Daniel Garrett, an

Arizona is blazing a new trail in the school choice movement by expanding a state-funded program to allow all parents to choose where their children are educated. The impact on public school finances is uncertain as the law signed July 7 by Gov. Doug Ducey could face a voter referendum and no one knows just

U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., submitted a bill Friday for a binding plebiscite on Puerto Rico’s political status, but its chances of passage are slim. The bill would offer Puerto Rico voters three options: statehood, independence, and sovereignty in free association with the United States. The current status as a territory would not be offered.

Next week’s planned sale of $2.7 billion of taxable business-tax backed special obligation revenue bonds by Massachusetts is being postponed as state lawmakers negotiate a bill that could affect the plan. A bill was introduced earlier this week, according to a notice from Jefferies LLC and BofA Securities, joint book-running senior managers for the deal,

Municipals were little changed to close out the week, while U.S. Treasury yields fell slightly and equities rallied. Muni to UST ratios were at 65% in five years, 83% in 10 years and 96% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the five at 64%, the 10 at

The stock market decline of 2022 is projected to push the unfunded liabilities of state-run pension systems to $1.3 trillion for the fiscal year, according to a Reason Foundation analysis. The steps taken by states to bolster pension funds by lowering anticipated return rates during boom years combined with record-setting investment returns in 2021 isn’t

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has dealt President Biden and the Democrats’ Build Back Better bill a final blow, refusing to accept key tax and climate provisions and destroying any hope for reviving the muni market agenda before elections in November. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had been negotiating with fellow Democrat Manchin for

Rising inflation and falling stock prices are getting ready to take a big bite out of the Big Apple’s economic recovery. According to a report released this week by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, June’s personal income tax data are showing the effects the sagging stock market and volatile bond market are having on

While some ownership questions were answered, U.S. Virgin Island senators were nearly universally skeptical about a presentation at a hearing Thursday from the purchaser of a major oil refinery site that’s been plagued by financial and environmental challenges for years at a hearing Thursday. The site, Limetree Bay Refinery, and the companies operating it since

With its coffers bursting due to record revenue collections, Texas has canceled a summer trip to the short-term note market for a second year in a row.  State Comptroller Glenn Hegar on Thursday released a revised certification revenue estimate that more than doubled the projected budget balance at the end of fiscal 2023 to nearly

Municipals took a breather and were little changed Thursday, while U.S. Treasuries were mixed as the 2/10 UST curve flattened but remained inverted, sending worrisome recession signs. Equities ended in the red. Muni to UST ratios were at 65% in five years, 82% in 10 years and 96% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s

The Federal Reserve’s Inspector General said Chair Jerome Powell and former Vice Chair Richard Clarida’s trading activity had not broken any laws or rules, but the probe into the former heads of the Dallas and Boston regional Fed banks remained open. “We did not find evidence to substantiate the allegations that former Vice Chair Clarida

When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell describes the central bank’s approach to raising interest rates to tame inflation, he seems to return again and again to the same word: “expeditiously.” But as the central bank is laser focused on fulfilling its mission to maintain price stability, it could risk running afoul of one of its

Florida state government revenues surged in fiscal 2021-22, bringing its total budget surplus to a record high of $21.8 billion, more than 21% above previous forecasts, as its economy continued to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, collections came in $742 million above estimates with preliminary data for June showing revenue

The former Treasury official and University of Michigan administrator’s confirmation gives the Federal Reserve Board a full complement of seven governors for the first time in nearly a decade. Michael Barr, a former Treasury official and university administrator, has been confirmed as the next vice chair for supervision for the Federal Reserve. The Senate confirmed