Public finance

The ratings agency revises the outlook to negative

Supply should be "well-received, given strong inflows and the increase in reinvestment capital for the new month," said Chris Brigati, managing director and CIO at SWBC, and Ryan Riffe, senior vice president of capital markets at the firm.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has chosen Assistant Finance Commissioner Steven Mahr as the city's acting chief financial officer, two sources confirmed.

The government plans to use surplus funds from fiscal years 2022 to 2024 to fund the payments.

Market Intelligence analyst Jeff Lipton analyzes how varied state funding priorities and overall charter school support, shifting enrollment patterns, policy uncertainty, charter renewal risk,  and varied pension practices affect charter school bond security—and outlines what issuers, advisors and investors should be communicating to the market.

The push for a Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loan comes as opponents call for a full review of the railway over concerns about oil spills.

The market is well-positioned for February, after January's near-record tax-exempt supply, said J.P. Morgan strategists led by Peter DeGroot.

Issuance was $34.308 billion in 471 issues, down 7.2% year-over-year from $36.982 billion across 536 transactions in 2025. However, this was the third-highest monthly figure for January and above the month's 10-year average of $29.699 billion

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's ability to finish projects on budget will become more crucial as federal, state and economic pressures mount. 

Munis were largely unchanged this week and tax-exempts continue to be "quite unattractive" at current levels, said Barclays strategists led by Mikhail Foux.

Wells Fargo Securities will price for the Chicago Transit Authority $575 million of first and second lien sales tax receipts bonds on Thursday, Feb. 5.

Mayors across the country are taking closer looks at data center deals as a way to pay for the infrastructure they require.

The District of Columbia deals will bring a mix of new money and refunding bonds with a variable-rate component.

Analysts were pleased that a known quantity with bona fides was the pick, but Warsh may bring about changes in the Fed that have some concerned.

Warsh, who served on the U.S. central bank's Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011 and has previously advised Trump on economic policy, would succeed Jerome Powell when his term at the helm ends in May.

Over the past five years, January has seen a relatively stable market tone, said Jeff Timlin, managing partner and head of municipal bond investing at Sage Advisory.

Campbellsville University "shares many of the characteristics of schools that are struggling" in higher education, said Lisa Washburn of Municipal Market Analytics.

Market Intelligence analyst Jeff Lipton uses the Federal Reserve's latest Flow of Funds data to show how households still dominate municipal bond ownership even as ETFs surge and banks and insurance companies trim exposure, reshaping muni demand heading into 2026.

The governor, in the final year of his term, asked lawmakers to approve reforms that would fix the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority's balance sheet.

After voters rejected a 2019 bond proposal, Michigan's Dearborn Public Schools is mulling a possible $500 million, $1 billion or $1.5 billion bond this year.