Public finance

Mergers and acquisition dropped to 55 last year from 73 in 2021, continuing on a downward course since 2017, according to a review published by Ponder & Co.

Investors will be greeted Monday with a new-issue calendar estimated at $847 million.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava unveiled plans to create an authority to fund innovation while Miami City Mayor Francis Suarez focused on the environment and housing affordability.

A California treasurer's conduit approved a $135 million bond-funded grant for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.

Attorney general William Tong gave the legal stamp of approval to a high profile public-private partnership that came under fire for cost overruns.

Mediation sessions are expected to resume in the coming weeks.

On the buy side, lower interest rates and an extreme imbalance between supply and demand is supporting the municipal market's positive tone, according to JB Golden, executive director and portfolio manager at Advisors Asset Management.

UBS' move this week to cut some banking positions marked a reversal of its five-year growth trend as the bank rebooted its municipal underwriting business.

A number of states are taking aim at tax reductions, though some experts view the move as misguided policy.

A group of top local government associations have formed a new legal coalition aimed at Supreme Court cases that carry municipal implications.

The top bond counsel firms combined for a total of $359.123 billion in 7,878 transactions during 2022, down from the $456.136 billion in 11,819 deals in 2021.

York County priced a $24.6 million deal to help recoup costs of the purchase of a private water utility that wasn't "up to par," according to county officials.

Inflows continued with the Investment Company Institute reporting investors added $2.083 billion to mutual funds in the week ending Jan. 18, after $1.982 billion of inflows the previous week.

The contract is for 10 years.

Ceffalio is taking on a newly created position at the Chicago-based firm.

Inflation continues to wreak havoc on new construction rental projects that are still in the pipeline.

After "carnage" in 2022, a munis should see a "positive environment" this year, according to analysts.

Biennial budget bills filed by the Texas House and Senate include $15 billion in property tax cuts amid a projected $32.7 billion surplus.

The authority's issues hamper the USVI economy, Gov. Bryan says in his state of the territory speech.

The 2023 "January effect" seems to be "displaying typical behavior given relatively thin issuance this month and demand patterns that have been buoyed by four of six reinvestment needs," said Jeff Lipton, managing director of credit research at Oppenheimer Inc.