News and Information from Bond Buyer

The authority appears ready to take advantage of market conditions following a successful December refunding.

The current prohibition against tax-exempt advance refunding was used as a minor pay-for in the GOP’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that cut personal and corporate tax rates.

Assured Guaranty and National Public Finance Guarantee continue talks with the Puerto Rico Oversight Board.

Lawmakers packaged revenue, social justice and market positioning while flexing political muscle when they voted to legalize marijuana.

The municipal bond industry faces many obstacles and opportunities from the pandemic. But 83% of surveyed participants think munis have made it through the worst.

Susan Courtney, head of the Municipal Bond Team at PGIM Fixed Income, talks inflation, muni credit in COVID times and infrastructure. (27 Minutes) Lynne Funk hosts.

A Biden executive order may lead to the expansion of a central Puerto Rico industry — pharmaceuticals.

Moody's elevated the state's GOs to Aa3 from A1, citing a commitment to boosting rainy-day balances and sound governance during the pandemic.

Municipal bond industry leaders weighed in on their expectations for 2021 during a panel discussion at The Bond Buyer's National Outlook Conference.

Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, combined with the shortened week and the arrival of the second quarter, took attention away from the muni market.

The first quarter of 2021 concludes with $102.1 billion, slightly higher than the $95.3 billion that the market saw in the COVID-ravaged first quarter of 2020.

Municipal bond provisions were not mentioned, but stakeholders expect those details to be hashed out in what is likely to be a protracted battle in Congress.

Growth pressures in Miami and in Southern Florida create an opportunity for municipal bonds, if they can be sold to tax- skeptical locals.

Fitch said the downgrade reflects “persistent pressures on the travel and tourism sector" because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes securitizing future car registration fees to back bonds that speed construction of the electric vehicle charging stations.

MTA and regional transportation advocates welcome the news that the Federal Highway Administration is advancing the project.

Gov. Ralph Northam and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the agreements with Amtrak, CSX and Virginia Railway Express.

Larger fund flows, lower supply and optimism surrounding issuer credit post-stimulus allowed for a March price reversal that avoids posting two consecutive months with losses. The consumer confidence index jumped to its highest reading in a year in March.

Merritt Research Services highlights "unsung disclosure heroes" while reporting little change in most issuers' sluggish pace at releasing audited financials.

Newman, who died in November at 87, played a key role in public finance in Colorado's boom years.