Bonds

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday called a special legislative session for Aug. 26 on further property tax cuts to circumvent proposed ballot initiatives that could negatively impact public financing and education and local government funding in the state. The Democratic governor said “the cost of inaction is too high” and pledged he won’t sign into

Insurance fraud charges against Austin Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos that were not related to his job were dropped by law enforcement in Texas, the school superintendent announced Thursday.  Ramos, who joined the district as CFO in August 2021, resigned eight days before his July 31 arrest after which he was placed

Missouri’s Kansas City Public Schools is looking to take its modernization plan to voters and seek approval for a $474 million general obligation bond measure next April.  The district plans to devote $424 million of the bond proceeds to facilities upgrades for KCPS schools and $50 million to participating charter schools, according to Shain Bergan,

Last month, California became the first state to win funds from the Department of Energy’s prominent program to create a series of regional hydrogen hubs to kickstart a new national energy economy. The California Hydrogen Hub received an initial $30 million to begin planning and design phase and will eventually receive up to $1.2 billion

Municipals felt the pressure of a U.S. Treasury market selloff, but outperformed their taxable counterparts, after better economic data sent investors flocking to equities in a risk-on trade. Triple-A yields rose two to four basis points, depending on the yield curve, while UST saw losses of up to 15 basis points on the short end,

Underwriting spreads for all bonds surged in the first half of 2024, rising above $7 for the first time in 25 years. Underwriting spreads rose to $7.11 in the first half of 2024 from $3.70 in the first half of 2023. Spreads on negotiated bonds rose to $6.55 in 1H 2024 from $3.78 in 1H

Municipal bonds improved Wednesday as attention turned to the primary market with Chicago coming off the sidelines to price its delayed general obligation bond deal along with deals from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Las Vegas Valley Water Department. U.S. Treasuries and equities closed the session mixed following

Seven months after the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the listing and trading of several spot bitcoin exchange-traded product shares, a number of Midwest public pension funds are dabbling in cryptocurrency and crypto company investments. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board, which manages the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System, recently invested roughly $188 million

Municipal yields fell Tuesday as the primary kicked into gear, while munis underperformed an improved U.S. Treasury market as equities rallied after inflation data came in softer than expected. Triple-A municipal curves saw bumps of two to four basis points with the better performance on the short end while Treasuries improved by four to eight

A proposed constitutional amendment on Colorado’s Nov. 5 ballot aimed at curbing property taxes would roil municipal financing in the state and harm metropolitan districts in particular, by boosting borrowing costs and sparking litigation, according to bond dealers and attorneys. Initiative 50, a proposed constitutional amendment that requires a 55% majority vote for passage, would

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. pegged losses from estimated accrual of liabilities stemming from one of the worst wildfires in US history at $1.7 billion and issued a going-concern warning.  Hawaiian Electric said Aug. 2 that it had agreed to pay almost $2 billion as part of a $4 billion settlement to resolve hundreds of lawsuits

Merrimack College’s private partner is selling almost $100 million dollars of bonds for the school’s new housing project. The private Massachusetts college is employing a public-private partnership as it takes advantage of its rare position as a Northeast liberal arts school with rising enrollment. “This is a new way of funding needs of institutions in

Municipals were little changed Friday and U.S. Treasuries were better while equities closed the week in the black, regaining much of the losses that hit Monday. Municipal issuance is expected to fall to about $7.4 billion next week as issuers take pause amid the market volatility. The 10-year AAA fell 30 basis points for the

As governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz has proposed some sweeping investments, including a $3.3 billion bonding bill that would have been the largest in the state’s history, and a $1 billion infrastructure package earlier this year. Some who’ve watched the evolution of the governor’s approach say the new Democratic nominee for vice president is a

Houston Independent School District will seek bond authorization for the first time in 12 years after its board of managers voted late Thursday to place a two-part, $4.4 billion debt package on the Nov. 5 ballot. The 9-0 vote came after a lengthy public comment period during which many speakers repeated “No trust, no vote”

When Northeastern University announced its intentions to merge with Mills College in 2021, students attending Mills responded with protest and a series of campaigns to halt what they called an “acquisition” of their beloved institution.  Mills College, a small, historically women’s private school, had announced its intention to close after years of declining enrollment and

California and Oregon are experiencing yet another record-setting year of wildfires. The still-raging Park Fire in northern California, the largest of 12 active fires, has consumed more than 426,000 acres, and is the state’s fourth-largest fire in the past two decades. More than two weeks after an arsonist started the conflagration, it is only 34%

Municipals were weaker Thursday as U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities rallied. Triple-A yields rose by two to seven basis points while USTs rose four to five as volatility in both markets continued. The past several trading sessions have seen “crazy volatility,” said Jennifer Johnston, director of research of municipal bonds at Franklin Templeton. <img

BayCare Health System, Florida, plans to price $1.3 billion in bonds the week of August 19 through the Hillsborough County Industrial Development Authority. The authority approved the bonds earlier this month. Bond proceeds will reimburse BayCare for prior capital expenditures, fund future capital projects and pay for capitalized interest and costs of issuance. The authority

Tampa International Airport plans to price $484 million in alternate minimum tax eligible senior bonds Thursday, about a week after Fitch Ratings upgraded the airport’s subordinate debt. The bonds, issued by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, are rated Aa3 by Moody’s Ratings, AA-minus by Fitch, and AA by Kroll Bond Rating Agency. In late July