Sell side

Ocean Capital's next move is to attemot to have its elected directors seated on the funds' board of directors.

Loop Capital Markets CEO Jim Reynolds, Jr. said he would gladly pay a bit more for a muni bond that tackled gang violence in Chicago during a debate on ESG factors among market veterans at The Bond Buyer's infrastructure conference this week.

The school district plans to price $670 million in a combined new money-refunding deal next week.

"Patrick has an excellent ability for not only understanding the complexities of the healthcare sector but connecting with our customers and telling the credit story in a way that provides meaningful and value-driven analysis to the market," said S&P Senior Director Stephen Infranco.

Labor costs and inflation weigh on hospitals, but improvement may be on the horizon.

Building off his success in creating a revolutionary website as Massachusetts assistant treasurer of debt management, BondLink founder Colin MacNaught has grown his firm into 45 states.

Utilities have faced lawsuits following wildfires for their perceived role in the destruction.

Fitch analysts mentioned the tardy ACFR in the ESG section of its most recent rating report on California general obligation bonds.

In other asset classes, there has been more transparency, activity and efficiency due to electronic trading. The muni market has been behind in realizing how beneficial electronic trading can be, sources said.

Healthcare and transportation had the biggest contraction in issuance volume.

July's total volume was $25.939 billion in 542 issues, down from $28.258 billion in 619 issues a year earlier, the smallest percentage drop in monthly issuance year-over-year in 2023, according to Refinitiv data.

Customers of Investortools can now access the MarketAxess products through the Investortools Dealer Network.

Nonprofit assisted living and nursing home bonds continue to be under stress, with defaults and impairments on the rise.

BofA Securities remained at the top of the list, with $22.948 billion, accounting for 13.4% of the market, but the rest of the top 10 saw some shuffling.

Total volume for the month was $34.436 billion in 744 issues, down from $37.775 billion in 984 issues a year earlier, according to Refinitiv data.

David Fields, Rob Whitlock and Naomi O'Dell have been hired from RBC Capital Markets and will work out of the firm's Philadelphia and Chicago offices.

Some in the industry already use AI to help determine fair bid and offer prices and to summarize new-issue offering statements, but full integration into all aspects of the market is a ways away.

The $6.9 billion new-issue calendar features high-grade deals from Georgia, Washington and Massachusetts, among other frequently traded credits, which should provide direction for scales.

Municipal bond mutual fund inflows returned as Refinitiv Lipper reported investors added $672.288 million for the week ending Wednesday following $256.532 million of outflows the week prior.

The upgrades brought the Orange County Transportation Authority managed lanes toll credit to double-A levels across the board.