Bonds

Retired Wisconsin Capital Finance Director Frank Hoadley — who left an influential mark on the public finance industry as a champion of issuer advocacy and best marketplace practices — died unexpectedly this week. He was 77. Hoadley was traveling with his wife, Elizabeth, in Scotland when he died. “Frank Hoadley was a giant among the

An Oklahoma regulatory official, who has raised concerns about the impact of the state’s first utility securitization bond sale on ratepayers, on Thursday called for an independent assessment of the pricing as three other deals are pending. Bob Anthony, one of three commissioners at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), continued to question the July 8

The Federal Reserve is committed to cooling inflation and needs to raise interest rates to a little above 4% to ease demand, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester said. “We’re committed to getting inflation down” to the 2% target, which will require more rate increases, Mester said during an event hosted by the Economic

New York State is facing lower revenues and bigger budget gaps as the national economy takes a turn for the worse, according to the latest update released by the state Division of the Budget. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first quarterly update to the fiscal 2023 enacted budget shows the national economic downturn has started to

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain approved the extension of mediation discussions for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for the fourth time this year. Swain ordered the mediation to continue to at least Aug. 15, with the mediation team being given the authority to extend the mediation deadline until Sept. 9. In late

Federal Reserve leaders pledged the central bank would continue an aggressive fight to cool an inflation rate that’s at a four-decade high, even if higher rates cause the risk of recession. St. Louis Fed Bank President James Bullard said he favors a strategy of “front-loading” big interest-rate hikes, and he wants to end the year

Federal Reserve officials said they want strong evidence that the hottest inflation in four decades is on a sustainable downward path before declaring victory in their fight against it. With consumer prices rising 9.1% in June from a year earlier, the Fed has “a long way to go” on reaching price stability around a 2%

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has launched a high-profile utility and microgrid project in a bid to transform a legacy of heavy manufacturing into a high-tech, climate-friendly economy that attracts advanced manufacturers. The plan, which features a public utility and a series of microgrid districts, will likely be structured as a public-private partnership. The county “was thrilled”

Municipals were mostly firmer to kick off August, while U.S. Treasuries rallied out long and equities were in the red near the close. Muni-UST ratios on Monday were at 67% in five years, 84% in 10 years and 98% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the five

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said the central bank is committed to doing what’s necessary to bring down demand in order to reach policy makers’ 2% long-term inflation goal, a target that remains far off. “We are committed to bringing inflation down and we’re going to do what we need to do,”

New York City’s issuance of $22 million of special obligation revenue-backed bonds next week is just the latest in a series of deals that local officials hope will help address the future educational needs of a growing and increasingly youthful urban population. The bonds are slated to be priced by Robert W. Baird & Co.

Minnesota has a trio of triple-A general obligation ratings after Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the state to Aaa from Aa1 on Thursday. The rating agency cited the state’s financial condition, governance, and “high degree” of flexibility to raise revenue and adjust spending for the upgrade, which comes ahead of an approximately $591.5 million new money

The Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority filed an objection to the Highways and Transportation Authority Plan of Adjustment Thursday, saying it is illegal. FAFAA, a government body, objected to the Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s HTA plan of adjustment submitted to bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain. While the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and

Municipals were steady to firmer in spots to close out a week of lackluster supply, while U.S. Treasuries were mixed and equities rallied. Muni-UST ratios on Friday were at 67% in five years, 84% in 10 years and 98% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the five

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board announced Friday that Meredith Hathorn will be its next chair of the board on the same day that the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the withdrawal of the board’s controversial fee proposal and the MSRB submitted a new version. Hathorn is a managing partner at Foley & Judell in Baton

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board pointed to progress in negotiations in its attempt to convince the bankruptcy judge to extend the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority mediation period for several more weeks. Progress has particularly been made regarding securities structure, the board said in a filing with Judge Laura Taylor Swain Wednesday. Swain is considering

Municipals were stronger and inflows returned Thursday, following a rally in U.S. Treasuries after GDP numbers came in weaker for the second month in a row and a day after the Fed hiked rates 75 basis points. Equities ended in the black. Triple-A municipal yields fell up to eight basis points, depending on the scale,

Walt Disney couldn’t dream up a rollercoaster to rival the curves that California’s fiscal policymakers have had to navigate over the past two decades. In an historically short time frame, the state experienced the 2000 energy crisis that forced out then-Gov. Gray Davis; paid off $7 billion of deficit bonds issued by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Municipals were firmer following the Fed’s decision to hike rates another 75 basis points, while U.S. Treasuries rallied on the short end and equities ended up. Despite this being another “outsize rate increase” of 75 basis points, Brian Coulton, chief economist for Fitch Ratings, said “the Fed has still only raised interest rates back into

The latest version of a much-negotiated spending bill that Senate Democrats hope to pass before the end of next week features a provision that’s key to the stability of the nonprofit health care sector, market participants said. After passing the House in December as a $1.75 trillion Build Back Better legislation that encompassed President Joe