Janelle Irwin TaylorMarch 4, 2021
3min1046
The school has the top rating among Florida public universities.
Tag: Moody’sImage via DFS
Janelle Irwin TaylorMarch 4, 2021
Associated PressOctober 29, 2020
7min242
Thursday estimate of GDP growth is the last major economic report before Election Day,
A.G. GancarskiOctober 11, 2018
8min368
Jacksonville leaders may protest. But the move is non-negotiable. On Thursday, Moody’s downgraded $2.1 billion of Jacksonville debt, pinning a negative outlook on issues resulting from the city’s misadventures with utility JEA. At the root of it all: the still-under-construction Plant Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, which the city committed to buy power from in 2008 […]
A.G. GancarskiJune 22, 2018
4min478
Some good news for Florida’s credit ratings emerged Thursday, with upgrades across the board from Moody’s seemingly vindicating Gov. Rick Scott‘s approach to financial management. Per a media release: Moody’s upgraded the state one notch from Aa1 to Aaa, with a stable outlook for the best rating possible, despite what is called an “aging population.” “Florida’s […]
A.G. GancarskiNovember 30, 2017
5min309
Not even three months after Hurricane Irma comes an indication, via Moody’s, that a storm may be brewing in municipal credit markets. Via Bloomberg: “If cities and states don’t deal with risks from surging seas or intense storms, they are at greater risk of default.” Moody’s considers six indicators to measure exposure, like how many homes are […]
Drew WilsonSeptember 12, 2017
2min292
Florida’s transportation infrastructure should be able to bounce back quickly from Hurricane Irma according to a memo put out Tuesday by financial research group Moody’s. The credit rating group said even though many are still closed, the state’s airports, seaports and toll roads will “generally be able to sustain their long-term credit quality because of […]
A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017
7min249
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry prioritized improving the city’s financial picture as a candidate in 2015, and in 2017 there was strong evidence that happened. The city has strong bond ratings — AA- — and the market’s confidence was reflected in $388 million of offers on $145M worth of bonds this week. Curry noted Wednesday that “demand […]
Drew WilsonAugust 10, 2017
3min234
Florida added 18,100 private sector jobs last month according to new employment data released by payroll company ADP. July’s ADP Regional Employment Report showed the most of the new jobs heading to the service industry, which saw a gain of 16,500 jobs, including 2,300 new positions in the trade, transportation and utilities sector and 5,300 […]
A.G. GancarskiMay 18, 2017
3min207
On Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry took reporters’ questions, and primary among them was one about Moody’s offering mixed reviews of his pension reform package. Curry’s pension reform, covered exhaustively here, included moving new hires to defined contribution plans, imposing a sales tax extension to deal with legacy defined-benefit costs, and boosting the city’s contribution to […]
A.G. GancarskiMay 17, 2017
4min247
Just as films and books have reviews, the municipal bond sector has its own critiques from bond ratings agencies. In the case of Moody’s, which dropped its report Wednesday on Jacksonville’s status after pension reform, the writeup boils down to six words: “buy now, pay later, assume risks.” And Moody’s also asserts that there may be […]