Bonds

Not-for-profit hospital balance sheets are on the mend from last year’s challenges that inflicted deep damage on balance sheets, but pressures persist and the recovery is slow going, according to reports published this week. Hospital finances showed signs of stabilizing in May with some improvement in operating margins, declining expenses and notable increases in outpatient visits,

Municipals were little changed in secondary trading Wednesday while sizable deals from Massachusetts, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and others that saw ample demand in the primary and municipal bond mutual funds saw more inflows. U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities closed mixed. Triple-A yield curves were firmer by a basis point in spots

The budget agreement reached by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers late Monday provides a lifeline to struggling transit agencies, but comes with strings attached. The parties negotiated all weekend without reaching an agreement, making it seem likely they would come barreling up to the Friday deadline ahead of the July 1, 2023-24 fiscal year

A Florida state agency is selling municipal bonds to backstop the state’s homeowner’s insurance industry sector a surge of claims and litigation drove some insurers to shutter. The Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, which handles the claims of insolvent insurers, plans to borrow $600 million in the muni market, according to preliminary offering documents. It is

A federal bankruptcy court judge sided with Detroit in a ruling Monday that the police and fire pension system lacked authority to bypass the city’s Chapter 9 plan of adjustment and cut 10 years off the amortization of unfunded liabilities. The Police and Fire Retirement System voted in 2021 to shift to a 20-year amortization

A nearly 30-year-old rule restricting solicitation of municipal securities business would be reconsidered under a Republican environmental, social and governance-related investment bill that also tackles other high-profile muni market issues. The bill, introduced last week by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., would examine the effectiveness of Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Rule G-38, which prohibits a dealer

Market data platform SOLVE has launched a new platform that provides information for market professionals through the aggregation, curation and delivery of available historical and real-time fixed-income data. Some of the resources available include color from SOLVE’s AI-powered technology, regulatory compliance solutions, coverage of illiquid securities and a suite of tools for new-issue and secondary

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday announced a five-year, $14 billion capital plan that would lean on a mix of funding to carry out work across the state. The fiscal 2024-2028 Capital Investment Plan, Healey’s first capital spending proposal since taking office, includes spending for housing development, transportation, and green energy. “We’re also expanding support

Boosted by two rating upgrades, the Orange County Transportation Authority saw heady demand when it refunded $48.68 million in toll revenue refunding bonds. “It was strong investor demand from the get-go,” said Andy Oftelie, OCTA’s chief financial officer. “There were flurries of interest right from the jump, and we slowly continued to get good activity.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers expect interest rates will need to move higher to reduce U.S. growth to below its long-term trend and contain price pressures, with the timing of additional increases based on incoming data. “My colleagues and I understand the hardship that high inflation is causing, and we remain strongly committed

The construction manager for the beleaguered American Dream mall and entertainment complex in New Jersey’s Meadowlands is suing JPMorgan Chase & Co. to recover more than $30 million of unpaid work and accrued interest for the project. Denver-based PCL Construction Services alleges JPMorgan, which arranged a construction loan and serves as administrative agent for American

State budget surpluses are boosting transportation investment, with state lawmakers approving nearly $13.5 billion in new transportation funding in the first six months of the year. One-time funding measures, many of which will use bonds, account for half of all the bills that have been introduced this session, according to the American Road & Transportation

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said the central bank should not reverse course on monetary policy simply because it is having an acute impact on certain banks. During a speech delivered Friday at the Norwegian central bank, Waller pushed back against the idea that rate hikes were to blame for the failures of Silicon Valley

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority contends it can alter routes of statutorily authorized toll road projects as the state Supreme Court weighs the validity of bonds to begin funding a $5 billion, 15-year extension project.  The state agency sought the court’s approval in August for $500 million of revenue bonds for the ACCESS (Advancing and Connecting

A pair of recent state court decisions have ruled that EMMA is not the news media for the purposes of the public disclosure bar to whistleblower lawsuits, a question that has been a key part of the defense argument of Wall Street banks accused in a series of lawsuits of conspiring to set variable-rate bond

The House Wednesday passed legislation to block a proposed Department of Energy rule that may effectively ban many models of gas stove, a move strongly opposed by public gas utilities. The Save Our Gas Stoves Act passed the House with bipartisan support. The legislation is the second of two pieces designed to slow the roll

Despite a relatively drama-free resolution to the nation’s debt limit debate, risks remain for state and local governments, chief among them cuts in federal spending, higher borrowing costs and skittish municipal market buyers. That was the message from panelists weighing in Thursday during a webinar hosted by the Volcker Alliance on the implications of the

Deploying greater use of bond financing to cure the county’s affordable housing shortage is getting a fresh look in the Senate via the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act. The bill, which was introduced Tuesday, is cosponsored by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. and Bill Cassidy, R-La. The legislation takes aim at expanding the use of mortgage

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has introduced the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration’s funding over the next five years, expanding the Airport Improvement Program and including a number of improvements aimed at improving workforce and services of the aviation

The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation Wednesday renewing aviation taxes for five years, a key piece of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization that’s a must-pass Congressional priority this summer. HR 3796 passed along party lines, with Democrats complaining the bill was rushed and contained a surprise border patrol earmark benefiting a top Republican