* Weekly jobless claims increase 22,000 to 231,000. * Continuing claims rise 25,000 to 1.844 million. * Job openings drop 386,000 to 6.542 million in December. * Hiring advances 172,000 to 5.293 million; quits steady. By Lucia Mutikani.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week amid winter storms, and while job openings fell to a more than five-year low in December, the decline was concentrated in a single industry.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is leaning toward nominating economists Guilherme Mello and Tiago Cavalcanti to roles as central bank directors, as suggested by Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Wells Fargo Securities will price for the Chicago Transit Authority $575 million of first and second lien sales tax receipts bonds on Thursday, Feb. 5.
State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday showed the unemployment rate rose in six states in December and held steady elsewhere. The largest unemployment rate increases were in Delaware, where it rose by 0.3 percentage point, and Illinois, where it rose by 0.2 percentage point. The national unemployment rate was reported at 4.4% in December, down from 4.5% in November.
Gilmore & Bell, P.C., a leading public finance law firm, is pleased to announce that Shelby Exposito has been named director in the Kansas City office. Ms. Exposito serves as bond counsel to state and local government agencies, cities, counties and school districts.
Indiana looks to entice the National Football League's Chicago Bears to move to northwest Indiana by offering state-backed bonds to fund a new stadium.
The U.S. Supreme Court signaled four months into Donald Trump's second presidential term last year its interest in shielding the Federal Reserve from political interference.
The U.S. Supreme Court signaled four months into Donald Trump's second presidential term last year its interest in shielding the Federal Reserve from political interference.
* Case involving Fed's Lisa Cook comes to court on Wednesday. * Trump has sought to fire Cook in an unprecedented step. * Fed officials given tenure protections under federal law. By John Kruzel. The U.S. Supreme Court signaled four months into Donald Trump's second presidential term last year its interest in shielding the Federal Reserve from political interference.
CHICAGO, Jan. 12, 2026 ?Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce the successful closing of The Moorings of Arlington Heights' $162,860,000 Series 2025 Bonds issued through the Illinois Finance Authority. The Moorings of Arlington Heights is a Life Plan Community situated on a 45-acre campus in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Improved risk sentiment after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro helped pull investors into all markets and munis are a "beneficiary" of that shift, said James Pruskowski, an investor and market strategist.
With the muni calendar "heating up" ahead of another projected year of record issuance, Jeff Lipton, The Bond Buyer's market intelligence strategist, expects "investor demand to comfortably digest the new supply given reinvestment needs and compelling yield and income opportunities."
$55 million in interest rate subsidy, higher per-member limits, and streamlined access deliver up to 200 basis point savings for Illinois and Wisconsin The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago today announced the opening of its Community Advance product for 2026, reaffirming its commitment to affordable housing and local development. This press release features multimedia.
Advocates for improving inland port infrastructure in the House and Senate are pushing bipartisan bills aimed at funneling more dollars from the Port Infrastructure Development Program to facilities on the Great Lakes as opposed to East and West coasts.
Moody's Ratings upgraded the Chicago Transit Authority to Aa3 from A1 Friday, and upgraded the Chicago-area Regional Transportation Authority to Aa2 from Aa3.
U.S. electricity consumption has shifted from limited to rising growth due to the proliferation of data centers, which poses challenges for public power.
Supply for the final two weeks of the year will be virtually nonexistent, with only one deal, $24.46 million of taxable multi-family/project bonds from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, on the calendar for next week.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2025 Zamansky LLC reports that investors reviewing year-end account statements may be shocked to learn that losses this year in the Easterly ROCMuni High Income Municipal Bond Fund have not been recouped as anticipated, with the fund still down approximately 50% from where it traded before its precipitous decline in June.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of ?a? for the health and dental insurance subsidiaries of Humana Inc. (HUM) [NYSE: HUM]. These subsidiaries collectively are referred to as Humana Health Group.
The Trump administration officially rolled out an Executive Order laying out federal policy on Artificial Intelligence which cements fears from states worried about the loss of broadband funding tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As more states weigh legislative action to decouple from the provisions of One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent launches an outreach mission to counter what he calls, a "blatant act of political obstructionism," that will lead to higher state taxes.
AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ from A- and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?bbb+? from ?a-? of Rockford Mutual Insurance Company. The Credit Ratings reflect RMIC?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
Market Intelligence analyst Jeff Lipton finds that low debt burdens, stronger rainy-day funds, improved pension metrics and robust legal safeguards help states remain a core source of stability and diversification for muni portfolios despite slowing growth and fiscal headwinds.
Community First? Housing Counseling Resource Program partners with WHEDA to enhance statewide housing counseling availability The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago has awarded $2.5 million to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority for 2025 through its Community First? Housing Counseling Resource Program. This press release features multimedia.
Issuers mostly avoided pricing deals in the previous weeks the Fed met this year, but that's not the case this week, said Pat Luby, head of municipal strategy at CreditSights, and Wilson Lees, an analyst at the firm.
Dozens of lawmakers are bailing out of Congress before the midterm elections adding new wrinkles to the fading possibility of a second budget reconciliation which could require revenue raisers detrimental to the muni market.
Resulting ION.au assets will be deployed into large-scale tokenization and stablecoin programs across I-ON's expanding open-finance network, underscoring accelerating institutional demand for its regulated, gold-backed digital asset platform.
The county treasurer's new report describing large hikes in Chicago residential tax bills effectively takes property tax hikes off the table for the city.
KBRA assigns an A+ long-term rating to the City of Chicago, Illinois Chicago O'Hare International Airport General Airport Senior Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds Series 2025C and Series 2025D.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago today announced the results of its 2025 director election. This press release features multimedia. Wisconsin members elected Bradley J. Schroeder. Schroeder is chairman, president and chief executive officer of DMB Community Bank, an $830 million commercial bank headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell to a seven-month low last week, suggesting layoffs remained low, though the labor market is struggling to generate enough jobs for those out of work amid economic uncertainty.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell to a seven-month low last week, suggesting layoffs remained low, though the labor market is struggling to generate enough jobs for those out of work amid economic uncertainty.
* Alphabet up after report on talks with Meta to supply AI chips. * Retail sales, producer prices, consumer confidence reports released. * Kohl's and Abercrombie boost S&P Retail index. By Stephen Culp.
Wall Street extended its rally on Tuesday as a spate of economic data appeared to support the case for the U.S. Federal Reserve to implement its third and final rate cut of the year in December, while softness in the tech sector limited the Nasdaq's gains. All three major U.S. stock indexes closed in positive territory, with the blue-chip Dow out front.
Cities and states are showing budget resilience as pressure from inflation, slowing revenue growth, and the end of federal pandemic fuels concerns about an uncertain future.
Diverging Performance Within Asset Classes Bolsters Case for Active Management Northern Trust Asset Management, a leading global investment management firm with $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2025, expects the global economy in 2026 to continue to grow by maintaining momentum and avoiding recession, despite ongoing risks.
The muni market has "demonstrated more conviction with steady demand and appealing relative yields weighing on the long-end while shifting dynamics on the short-end have led to municipals selling-off," said Tim Iltz, fixed income credit and market analyst at HJ Sims.
The "data dumps" over the next several weeks could lead to market volatility, said Abdulla Begai, director and fixed income portfolio management at A&M Private Wealth Partners.
In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.
Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.
Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.
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