Podcasts

Robert Wimmel, head of the municipal fixed income team at BMO talks about first half trends in the muni market, including tremendous performance from the asset class and investment strategies that he is using based on current market conditions. He also talks about Chicago and how that situation shakes out. Hosted by Aaron Weitzman.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, discusses the Federal Reserve, rate hikes, its balance sheet and vacant seats. Hosted by Gary Siegel.

Sean Carney, director and head of municipal strategy at BlackRock, talks about municipal issuance in the first half of 2017 and makes some predictions on how the second half of the year will look. He also discusses distressed states — which state could recover first and why and how a downgrade of Illinois would be a big deal for the market. Hosted by Aaron Weitzman in a conversation recorded on June 29.

As the crisis in Puerto Rico continues to drag on, Paul Kwiatkowski, managing director at Kroll Bond Rating Agency discusses the differences between municipal and corporate creditors in bankruptcies and how we can look back at Detroit for clues on how things might turn out. Hosted by Aaron Weitzman.

Richard Ryffel of Washington University in St. Louis discusses the July 16-17 Brookings Municipal Finance Conference in Washington, DC, which attracts academics, practitioners, issuers and regulators. Hosted by Paul Burton.

The U.S. Virgin Islands’ current financial woes are discussed with Fitch Ratings Senior Director Marcy Block. She says the government’s recent actions have helped it in the short-term but haven’t adequately addressed its long-term problems. Hosted by Robert Slavin.

Central Falls Mayor Jim Diossa trumpets his formerly bankrupt city's rise to investment-grade status, and compares the tiny Rhode Island city with other distressed issuers including Detroit, Puerto Rico and Illinois. Hosted by Paul Burton.

Maine State Treasurer Terry Hayes addresses recent disputes with Maine Gov. Paul LePage over bond sales and her upcoming campaign for governor in 2018. Hosted by Andrew Coen.

GASB chair David Vaudt will talk about the importance of the board’s upcoming standards for state and local governments. Hosted by Lynn Hume.

Former New York State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer visits The Bond Buyer and shares insight from his days as a lawmaker clashing with former Gov. Mario Cuomo and how a new free college tuition program spearheaded by current Gov. Andrew Cuomo will impact higher education. Hosted by Andrew Coen.