Public finance

Finance officials for the city decided to be the first municipal issuer to use the distributed ledger technology for a $10 million deal, banking on cost savings, better liquidity and more access for retail investors to their bonds. Mayor Tom Koch, CFO Eric Mason and Strategic Asset Manager Rick Coscia say it should be the first of many deals for the industry.

Total volume currently stands at $224.13 billion, up 38.5% from $161.848 billion at this time last year. As the end of the first half approaches, several firms are revisiting their supply projections for the year, given the growth so far this year.

A pair of infrastructure experts are proposing a $25 billion federal appropriation to create state bond banks across the country.

With the "pretty good run" month-to-date, it would not be unexpected to see "the market take a breather, and with a large calendar this coming week, it may again move sideways," said AllianceBernstein strategists in a weekly report.

A 2023 U.S. Appeals Court ruling derailed federal approvals for the Uinta Basin Railway, which plans to seek up to $2 billion in private-activity bonds.

Broker-dealer Millennium will provide clients with real-time pricing and trade execution capabilities by connecting directly to the Investortools Dealer Network, or IDN.

The low-investment-grade offering for a high-profile public private partnership stood out in a crowded airport sector.

"It is hard to be overly excited about current valuations of tax-exempts relative to Treasuries; however, at tax-adjusted yields (using individual tax brackets), munis look quite attractive compared with other asset classes," noted Barclays PLC.

S&P Global Ratings dropped Houghton University to BB-plus from BBB-minus, citing a track record of deficits plus a large operating shortfall.

Municipal bond mutual funds saw small inflows as investors added $16.4 million to the funds after $154.4 million of inflows the week prior, according to LSEG Lipper.

The Advance Act is expected to shorten the timeline for project approvals

Puerto Rico's financial oversight board is seeking to reopen a confirmation hearing on a debt-restructuring plan for the island's power utility after an appeals court last week ruled that bondholders have a claim to the agency's future net revenue.

The state's new law requires companies like investment banks to provide written verification of their positions, part of a trend among similar bills aimed at preventing Wall Street banks from lying about their positions, said a firearms industry lobbyist.

Undersubscribed funding opportunities are blocked by regulation.

Issuance this year is "well on its way" to $450 billion, mostly from the tax-exempt supply of new money projects, said Matt Fabian, a partner at Municipal Market Analytics.

The city and its Austin Transit partnership are seeking court validation for bonds to help finance the multi-billion-dollar project.

Columbus' technology modernization push has embedded artificial intelligence functionality into its payroll, revenue and accounting and operations systems.

Investors may want to consider non-disclosure of climate hazards as a symbol of non-resilient projects and limited planning.

The legislature addressed the cost of a $329 million property tax refund in the state's largest county as well as passed a fiscal 2025 budget.

Despite some slight weakness Monday, munis continued an "impressive start to June," with yields falling 10 to 13 basis points last week, Birch Creek strategists said.