Bonds

In the midst of a declining workforce, the Internal Revenue Service is taking an “all hands on deck” approach to hiring that includes a recent announcement for a role focused on tax-advantaged bonds. The Oct. 14 posting for a senior tax law specialist seeks a candidate experienced with complex matters involving tax-advantaged municipal finance transactions.

The historic settlement between states and drug companies over the U.S. opioid epidemic is unlikely to have a material impact on the municipal bond market, said Barclays in a new report. The pending $26 billion deal is the largest attorney general multi-state enforcement action in history after the 1998 tobacco master settlement agreement. But it’s

Municipals ended the week steady even as U.S. Treasuries lost ground and equities rallied on better consumer data and corporate earnings. Triple-A benchmark yields were left unchanged as the 10-year UST rose six basis points while the 30-year climbed three. Ratios fell on the day’s moves, with the 10-year municipal-to-UST ratio at 74% and the

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain denied motions for bondholders and wage claimants to have until Oct. 25 or beyond to cast their vote on the proposed Plan of Adjustment. On Wednesday, Swain rejected bondholder Peter Hein’s motion to extend the deadline for retail bondholders. The motion would have extended the voting period from

Municipals were stronger as the New York Urban Development Corp. led the primary with $1.76 billion of taxable and exempt sales tax bonds in the competitive market while Refinitiv Lipper reported a rebound in fund inflows. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped a basis point in spots along the yield curve, but the asset class has underperformed

BondLink, the Boston-based financial technology company that provides cloud-based debt management software solutions to issuers, added two industry experts to its board of directors. Lynn Martin, president of Fixed Income & Data Services at Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., and Joe Geraci, partner at Old Orchard Capital and former Citi executive, join the board of directors. Colin

Municipals were steady in light secondary trading while new issues were repriced to lower yields and U.S. Treasuries made gains after a rollercoaster day. Triple-A benchmark yields were little changed while the UST 10-year fell four basis points to 1.541% and the 30 fell six to 2.035% near the close. Ratios rose as a result,

Three-quarters of the way through the year, municipal bond volume has risen 3.1% compared to the same period in 2020. So far in 2021, issuers have totaled $340.99 billion in 9,082 transactions that compares to $330.71 billion in 8,577 deals in the first nine months of 2020. The state of California once again finds itself

Municipals were lightly traded and little changed as participants await new issues while U.S. Treasury yields fell and stocks were in the red in a risk-off trade. Triple-A benchmark yields were little changed while the UST 10-year fell four basis points to 1.564% and the 30 fell nine to 2.083% near the close. The 10-year

The Senate appears poised to reach a bipartisan deal for a short-term increase of the debt ceiling to avoid a market-roiling U.S. default. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Wednesday broke a weeks-long standoff on the issue by saying that Republicans would not filibuster a Democrat-led bill to raise the debt ceiling, assuming he can

Amid steady recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is advancing its $5.4 billion capital improvement program, with the largest project at $2.3 billion for terminal C renovations and added gate capacity. “The goal is to transform Terminal C, which has stood in service at the airport since the

Municipal advisors considering disclosure of conflicts of interest would do well to tread carefully, particularly given recent enforcement activity by the Securities and Exchange Commission. That was a key takeaway from an expert panel at the 2021 Compliance Outreach Program for Municipal Advisors sponsored jointly by the SEC, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Financial

Cook County, Illinois’ fiscal picture for next year and beyond is on the upswing with $1 billion in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief and rosier revenue projections. Board President Toni Preckwinkle Thursday unveiled an $8 billion 2022 budget package that forgoes new or higher taxes and fees, continues on course with supplemental pension contributions, and begins

Municipal advisors’ most common examination deficiencies are maintaining books and records, travel and entertainment expenses, and service contracts, officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a virtual conference on Thursday. Karla Serna, a senior staff accountant at the SEC’s Chicago regional office said that one of the largest problems municipal advisors face in

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, many concerned New York City residents fled the city, trading their cramped urban apartment lives for the wide-open and relatively safe spaces of suburbia and exurbia. As the pandemic took its toll, many people — especially the wealthier ones — began moving out, along with their tax dollars, at an

The municipal 10-year triple-A bond hit a high for the year Friday at 1.18%, beating the yield reached in the March selloff. Municipals were weaker Friday, playing catch-up to another day of U.S. Treasury losses as participants await an $8 billion calendar and a more uncertain market sentiment with the pullback from mutual funds hanging

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board said the legislation proposed by the House and amended by the Senate would force it to withdraw its proposed Plan of Adjustment because thecosts are “impossible.” “The outrageous costs of the [Senate] amendments to House Bill 1003 taken together would make the confirmation of the 7th Amended Plan of Adjustment

Pension cuts and spending measures remain an obstacle to restructuring Puerto Rico’s debt, with the president of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives asking the Oversight Board to provide written commitment to support no pension cuts and a slew of spending measures before he would sign off on a bond restructuring. “Until some accommodation can

Municipals were mostly steady on a day when U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities rallied in a risk-on trade from debt-ceiling news in Washington while Refinitiv Lipper reported a mere $37 million of fund inflows and a near half-billion of high-yield outflows. Triple-A benchmarks were little changed on the day with Refinitiv MMD cutting the

Municipals were a touch weaker as U.S. Treasuries and equities seesawed throughout the day on debt ceiling news out of Washington while new issues in the primary were in high demand and repriced to lower yields. Triple-A benchmarks saw cuts of one to two basis points. Refinitiv MMD cut two on the 10-year and one