News and Information from Bond Buyer

Refinitiv Lipper reported $2.712 billion of outflows, bringing the total outflows so far in 2022 to $65.8 billion, surpassing the last largest annual outflows of $63.5 billion during the Taper Tantrum in 2013.

The Biden administration’s pick for Federal Reserve vice chair for supervision faced questions about climate change, digital assets and the central bank’s independence. But he did not meet the same resistance from Republicans as the White House’s first choice, Sarah Bloom Raskin, observers said.

Some worry that governments will use new infrastructure funds for generic, shovel-ready projects, or even tax cuts, instead of collaborative plans that could transform regions.

Panelists at the NFMA 2022 annual conference said they aren’t holding out for advance refunding to be reinstated anytime soon.

The bulk of the first tranches of the $15 billion of IIJA funds will likely be used to figure out where lead lines are located, so states and water systems can determine the scope of the problem.

Chicago's preliminary projected gap in the next budget, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot has vowed to reach structural balance, is down from an $867 million estimate.

The sector is a target-rich environment due to the large amount of sensitive data that healthcare entities maintain for patient care and operations.

Almost $25 million of bond funds provided for school technology and security enhancements to state school districts this year from the 2014 Act.

While the report offers many positives for states, headwinds loom, according to investment management firm Conning.

Illinois' spread penalties widened sharply from the state's last deal, but they landed in lockstep with current trading levels as the state saw healthy demand for its $1.6 billion GO issue.

Investors pulled $7.270 billion from muni bond mutual funds in the week ending May 11, per ICI data, while exchange-traded funds saw $1.756 billion of inflows, the fourth week of record inflows.

Issuer fears that ESG regulation will lead to disclosure trouble are overblown, the SEC’s muni office chief said Wednesday.

SWS has launched a specialty higher education sector group that will be led by Julia Harris from the firm's Chicago office.

The main bond classes appear to clear the two-thirds majority needed for a court endorsement.

Moody’s Investors Service raised the city's rating, noting noted a trend of strong finances, a diverse economy and a willingness to tackle pension issues.

St. Louis County will take competitive bids on the $114 million issue Wednesday, amid concerns about rising construction costs for the project.

The authority currently projects $169 million in losses over three months, though FAFAA says it won't be that bad.

On the buy-side, weakness, outflows, supply issues, and poor liquidity are making life challenging for municipal bond investors. The same could be said for issuers.

Coordinated national efforts to share firefighters and other resources could be stretched thin this year as drought hammers the West.

While only 12% to 15% of municipal bond trading volume is performed electronically, various market participants say the time to embrace new technologies is now.