Tax reform

Long-term issuance in the municipal market virtually matched its record high set in 2016, against the backdrop of tax reform that produced an end-of-year flood of volume, but the outlook for 2018 is less rosy.

The plan would expand flexibility and broaden the uses of tax-exempt private activity bonds.

Shorter calls and a shift in the use of floating rate paper are part of Wisconsin's toolkit after tax reform.

The MSRB's annual Fact Book paints a picture of a 2017 muni market that held fairly steady despite tax reform anxiety, with no major declines or drastic shifts in trading activity or trends.

Treasury Department sales of state and local government series securities are expected to dramatically decline this month now that issuers no longer need them for tax-exempt advance refunding escrows.

The Government Finance Officers Association's federal liaison center is warning some members against using interest rate swaps and derivatives.

The municipal bond market has had a rough start to 2018, according to a panel of buy and sell side experts at The Bond Buyer‘s Texas Public Finance Conference in Austin.

Lawmaker suggests advanced refundings be renamed “refinancing to save taxpayer dollars” and private activity bonds be called "public good bonds."

The final bill had several elements which will impact the municipal markets, and could potentially result in significant structural changes.

As the Baby Boom generation retires, economic growth may slow and fiscal deficits could grow, complicating monetary policy, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George said late Thursday.