News and Information from Bond Buyer

Consumer credit increased by $24.5 billion in November to $3.750 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Monday.

The following are the Top 10 podcasts most listened to by The Bond Buyer's subscribers in 2016. Topics that sparked our listeners' interest included market trends, predictions and innovations, the Puerto Rico crises, New York City's economy, transportation and stadiums and public private partnerships.And our top video of the year focused in on the rising stars of the muni market – and why they chose a career in public finance.

A probable rollback of federal protections put in place after the Great Recession means Oregon must be even more vigilant in its stewardship of public funds, said its new treasurer, Tobias Reed.

Chicago receives $1.1 billion of federal rail grants in final days of Obama administration.

The United States Virgin Islands is selling two speculative-grade bonds totaling $219 million on Wednesday.

Failure of the Texas Legislature to create a new framework for Dallas’ failing Police and Fire Pension Fund would likely bring a downgrade to the city’s AA credit rating, according to Fitch Ratings.

Texas lawmakers will have 2.7% less revenue for the next two-year budget compared to the current biennium, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced.

The following are the Top 10 stories most viewed by The Bond Buyer's readers in 2016. Topics that our readers were most interested in ranged from the big financial crises in Puerto Rico to the fiscal stress felt by a small Kentucky municipality. As expected, the effect of Donald Trump's surprise election win on the municipal bond market also figured prominently in our ratings. And federal regulation, shrinking spreads and healthcare pensions rounded out our top 10 hot topics for 2016.

Interest rates should increase gradually, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President and CEO Dennis Lockhart said Monday.

As President-elect Donald Trump lays the groundwork for a “great wall” on the Mexican border, Texans weigh the impact of his protectionist ideas on a trade-fueled economy.

Top-quality municipal bonds were stronger at mid-session, according to traders, ahead of this week's $8.7 billion new issue slate.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.510% high rate, down from 0.530% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.590% high rate, off from 0.630% the week before.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $45 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.

Consumer expectations on inflation "rose significantly from November, while medium-term inflation expectations increased slightly," according to the Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

The Federal Reserve's Labor Market Conditions Index, a compilation of 19 labor market measures, fell to negative 0.3 in November from a revised positive 2.1 in November, first reported as positive 1.5.

The Conference Board's Employment Trends Index (ETI) fell to 129.96 in November from a downwardly revised 129.93 in November, and is up 2.2% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

The municipal bond market is set to see about $8.7 billion of new issues hit the screens this week, with the calendar made up of about $6.7 billion of negotiated deals and around $2 billion of competitive sales.

Monetary policy will have to normalize at a faster rate going forward, with rate hikes "still gradual but somewhat more regular," Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President & CEO Eric S. Rosengren said Monday

Tuesday, January 10 Issuer St Description Amount