Washington

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin says the U.S. could face a bumpy first six months but will be well supported by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and fiscal stimulus later in the year.

Transcripts of the Federal Reserve’s 2015 policy meetings show that then-Fed Chair Janet Yellen acknowledged that the Fed should sacrifice potential job gains in order to cut off the possibility of higher inflation.

A judge said that the lawsuit filed on behalf of California accusing major banks of colluding to inflate VRDO interest rates did not allege the means of the conspiracy.

Federal Reserve officials shouldn’t intervene to slow rising bond yields because that is expected to happen as the U.S. economy recovers, said Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan.

President-elect Joe Biden's cabinet picks include the governor and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, the latter for Labor Secretary.

The Federal Reserve has returned about $42 billion to the U.S. Treasury, and will soon transfer another $20 billion in excess funds connected to emergency lending facilities that stopped offering new loans last month.

It was inevitable that muni yields would need to rise somewhat as the UST 10-year broke above 1%, however participants said the supply/demand imbalance will keep munis from rising as quickly as Treasuries. More than $1 billion inflows reported.

Chao tweeted her resignation on Wednesday following violent turmoil in the U.S. Capitol.

Ross expects 2021 to be another challenging year and plans to work vigilantly with other muni market stakeholders.

John Hallacy, founder of John Hallacy Consulting LLC, talks about the most important opportunities and challenges the municipal bond market will face in 2021. He gives his estimate on where muni volume may be headed, discusses the possibility of a federal infrastructure program and talks about what to expect under a Biden Administration. Chip Barnett hosts. (Recorded Dec. 22; 22 minutes)