News and Information from Bond Buyer

NYPA's green designation and two credit upgrades are drawing lots of attention in a crowded market.

With the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's new amendments to Rule G-27 and the future of the tax-exempt status afforded to municipal bonds in the balance, there are many noteworthy policy developments.

Several factors make the current market "an attractive entry point" into the muni market, AllianceBernstein strategists said. For one, municipal valuations are cheap to fair value relative to U.S. Treasuries, partially due to the surge of supply in 2024.

The Los Angeles Unified School District bonds carry a sustainability label with a third party opinion from Kestrel.

The study also projected a $1.475 trillion loss to productive infrastructure by 2050.

The bills have a slim chance of advancing in the Senate, but offer a glimpse of Republican goals if they gain power in the November election.

Recent career moves are providing firms the opportunity to expand their markets.

Moody's has raised the senior bonds to Aa1 from Aa2 and assigned a stable outlook to them.

Litigation filed by environmental groups aims to reverse actions taken by the agency's board since it was restructured by the state legislature in 2022.

The three new hires, two from Nuveen and one from Lord Abbett, will report directly to the fund's manager John Miller.

The Commission approved changes to MSRB Rule G-14 on customer transaction reporting, paving the way for dealers and stakeholders to work with the MSRB to establish a reasonable path forward.

"Active ETFs are becoming an integral part of investor portfolios around the world, with financial advisors increasingly incorporating them into their models-based practice," a BlackRock spokesperson said.

As Erie County sells general obligation bonds to fund its new stadium for the Buffalo Bills, the deal team is targeting a new market: fans of the NFL team. 

The top five bond financings came in above $8 billion.

"That's great news, and it reflects the outstanding work and commitment of our city council and my administration to keep Tampa on rock-solid financial footing," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

"Should September's positive returns hold as we expect, it would mark the fourth consecutive month of positive total returns — the first such period since the five-month period spanning from March through July 2021," BofA strategists Yingchen Li and Ian Rogow said.

This week, Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman cast the first dissenting vote at an FOMC meeting in years. On Friday, she explained why the economic data she's seen didn't convince her of the need to cut rates as much as her fellow governors thought.

Two former Congressional staffers offered insight into how the debate may play out, but said the industry needs to be vocal and educate lawmakers how bonds help their district.

Warnings, finger pointing, and political infighting have consumed talks around a continuing resolution, but the details of the upcoming funding package are expected to be ironed out over the weekend for a likely vote early next week.

Carbon capture and broadband funding stalemated by questions over regulations