Economy

State governments want to limit the cost of healthcare. Issuers will be tested. But analysts say it's unlikely to drive hospitals to bankruptcy.

The revised bill removes provisions creating state-backed credit enhancement for affordable housing bonds, calling instead for a study of housing finance tools.

Financing for a nearly $500 million long-term investment plan would include as much as $250 million of revenue bonds that could be sold next year.

Like state governments, most cities and counties remain on "solid footing" given high reserve levels and conservative budgeting, BofA strategists said.

The ratings agency cited strong financial metrics and affordable utility rates.

Puerto Rico's electric authority, mired in nine-year-old bankruptcy proceedings, is running low on cash and its efforts to reduce outages aren't succeeding.

The currently-paused surface transportation reauthorization in a recessed Congress contains the first nationwide fee on electric vehicles.

Student housing bonds trade wide for a reason: declining college-age populations, private competition and non-recourse structures make demand, disclosure, university commitment and stress-testing the signals investors need to validate, writes Market Intelligence analyst Jeff Lipton.

The inspector general warned in a report that the California bullet project could run out of money for construction by December 2027.

Electronic trading brings science to the art of municipal bond investing, one portfolio manager says. 

As the Nebraska nonprofit Boys Town began construction on its $300 million bond-financed hospital expansion, several Boys Town employees were arrested and charged with child abuse.

"They're totally more vulnerable," Michael Sudsina, president and CEO of Ohio-based municipal advisory firm Sudsina & Associates, LLC, said.

Two hospital deals were among the first to price Monday, including $1.317 billion for Henry Ford Health and $1.118 billion of bonds for Intermountain Health.

Fitch Ratings raised the outlook on two series of sales tax revenue bonds structured as a TIFIA loan.

More than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota — and more in other states — were hit by a coordinated cyberattack last week that spurred an FBI alert.

Fitch cited very strong revenue defensibility and the expectation the utility's finacial profile and performance will improve.

Leverage issues led to Fitch lowering the outlook on the AA-minus-rated bonds.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority and the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency will cooperate, notably on the station where they plan to connect.

New leadership and private capital are part of the strategy to push the high-speed rail project to its overdue completion.

S&P said its earlier rating had its origin in an incorrect methodology.