Investments

Bond parties say their action against the commonwealth of Puerto Rico isn't barred by PREPA bankruptcy.

The weakness came as the new-issue calendar grew to $5.9 billion with the addition of a $900 million refunding deal from the Illinois State Highway Toll Highway Authority slated for Thursday. Bond Buyer 30-day visible supply sits at $6.95 billion.

The top five bond financings have an average dollar volume of more than $1 billion.

Nuveen's marquee fund has seen the worst performance among the largest high-yield funds so far this year.

The state's Democratic leaders approved $19 million in emergency funding for road maintenance and snowplows after ODOT said it would cut back snowplow services to four days a week amid inflationary pressures and gas tax revenue declines.

The state would raise $500 million through internal debt sales backed by oil and natural gas severance tax revenue to fund long-term water purchase contracts.

Finance officials from Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Palm Beach County have joined Israel Bonds' new Government, Industry and Financial Services Leadership group.

Photos from The Bond Buyer's 2023 Deal of the Year award dinner.

Friday's S&P upgrade to triple-A follows similar moves by Moody's Investors Service last week and Fitch Ratings last year.

The new-issue calendar comes in just over $3 billion, of which is $847 million of state personal income tax revenue bonds from the Empire State Development in three competitive sales.

"Higher education is going to be facing continued challenges in the near term," said Tom Kozlik, managing director at Hilltop Securities.

More than one out of every 100 residents who pay income taxes left the Empire State during the pandemic in 2020, according to report released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. And, while slowing, the trend hasn't stopped.

It's the second try for the bill, which Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., first introduced in 2021.

LSEG Lipper reported Thursday that investors pulled $144.5 million from muni mutual funds for the week ending Wednesday after outflows of $58.9 million the week prior.

Michael Milken's attorney Richard Sandler penned a book blasting his friend's prosecution. High-yield muni experts weigh in on whether Milken's influence extended to the muni market.

The approval last month by Texas voters of a constitutional amendment to create an endowment fund led S&P Global Ratings to revise the school's outlook to positive from stable.

"BNP Paribas choosing Miami to open its newest office reinforces our community's status as a top financial market within the global economy," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Policy ideas for creating more affordable housing have the potential to impact public finance.

Municipal mutual fund losses continued last week as the Investment Company Institute Wednesday reported investors pulled $475 million from the funds in the week ending Nov. 29 after $97 million of outflows the previous week.

Most bondholders voted for the plan, which offers an upfront cash payment and the extension of bond maturities by 25 to 35 years.