by Mardee Handler The foreign-born population plays an integral role in Baltimore, Maryland’s goal to grow its population by 10,000 families over the next decade. Like many other cities dependent on the manufacturing industry, Baltimore’s economy has been...
Month: September 2014
4 Ways to Become a More Informed Voter in Your State’s Gubernatorial Election
By Mardee Handler This November, voters in 36 states will cast their votes for a new (or re-elected) governor. Not unlike during other election seasons, TV screens across the nation are already ablaze with political ads that attack the opponent and distort the facts....
BBB-Rated Munis Losing Their Allure
This was truly a momentous week in the global capital markets, on several fronts. First, in its monthly proceedings, the FOMC basically stayed on its cautious tapering course but somehow managed to spook the market into pushing up the expected time frame for rate...
Metro Area GDP Trends Suggest Potential Population Shifts in the Making
By Richard Ciccarone The majority of U.S. metro areas experienced economic growth in 2013, according to recent data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross domestic product (GDP) by metro area, defined as the “sub-state counterpart of the nation’s...
Gambling on Atlantic City’s Future
Last week, we predicted that, in the absence of fresh news from Puerto Rico, the market would shift its attention to the two weakest State GO credits, Illinois and New Jersey. With regard to the Garden State, that already seems to be happening. The rating agencies,...
Gambling on Atlantic City’s Future
The fiscal plight of a high profile local issuer such as Atlantic City has also served to draw attention to New Jersey’s deteriorating credit picture. This oceanside resort, as it were, lends itself quite readily to muni credit analysis 101: it is a classic tale of a one-industry town whose sole industry happens to be in a tailspin.
Whither the High Yield Muni Market?
Muni market participants returning from the Labor Day weekend were greeted by two important market developments: one that could have important implications for future market liquidity, the other the culmination of a ground-breaking credit event. First, even after...