Markets

The Windy City is looking to add even more savings to a $1.3 billion debt refinancing with a tender invitation for some of its older, higher-yielding bonds. “The tender is just gravy,” City CFO Jennie Huang Bennett said last week.

Attendees at The Bond Buyer’s Deal of the Year ceremony look ahead to the new year and discuss what they feel will be the biggest stories of 2020.

Attendees at The Bond Buyer’s Deal of the Year ceremony talk about what issues they think had the biggest impact in municipal finance last year.

Demand for municipal bonds is much stronger in 2020 than it was to end 2019, illustrated by record inflows into the asset class in the latest reporting week.

The former FTN Financial increased its underwriting numbers in 2019 and parent First Horizon National merged with Iberiabank of Louisiana, adding more heft.

The last-ditch attempt to settle Preston Hollow Capital's lawsuit against Nuveen failed this week.

Nonfarm payrolls gained a less-than-expected 145,000 in December, and the unemployment rate held at 3.5%. Slow wage growth suggests the economy will not overheat and the Fed can maintain rates.

The muni market saw the last issuance of the week come and go; the front end of the curve were stronger than the long-end.

Huntington Beach approved a resolution to refinance up to $436 million of public employee pension debt with pension obligation bonds.

While Fed officials repeated their contention that monetary policy is appropriate and rates can be held if the outlook remains as expected, the situation with Iran could cause preemptive cuts, one noted economist suggests.