Muni Think

While this election seems less about the economy and policy and more about insults, who knows, maybe the direction of the economy over the past year in swing states can offer some insight.

The worst is yet to come in the SEC's enforcement of municipal disclosure efforts, and it will be very costly for the issuers who missed the boat.

The only two things that Presidential candidates seem to agree on are that their opponent is a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the U.S. must make significant investments in our crumbling infrastructure.

The private sector might be willing to carry risk the public sector doesn’t want, or provide capital sooner than the public sector capacity allows, but these benefits come at a cost, and sometimes that cost is hard to measure.

This week we cover two quite different topics, starting with the most recent FEMA data regarding Hurricane Matthew. Then, in an attempt to move us beyond the "Sex, Lies and Audiotape" conversation that is occupying the minds of many Americans, we take a closer look at the importance of exports, employment and wages on the economy.

With voters from nine more states considering marijuana legalization in next month’s election, here’s a state-by-state chart of the revenue implications.

The SEC's MCDC initiative is causing many municipal issuers and underwriters to change the way they do things.

One of the most pronounced indicators of the improvement in Florida's economy is the decline in poverty rates.

Regardless of which candidate takes the oath of office next January, improving our country’s infrastructure will be on the next president’s agenda.

While Mayor Rahm Emanuel has chipped away at the pension problem, Chicago has come nowhere close to identifying a solution. The city must, at a bare minimum, contribute enough every year, including 2016, to ensure that the plans' funded ratio not drop below, and that their unfunded liabilities not exceed, 2015 levels.