Author Archives: David

Using Benchmarks to Assess Portfolio Risk and Return

GFOA Newsletter  April 6, 2017 Finance offices measure portfolio risk and return results against appropriate market benchmarks to verify that all the organization’s investment objectives are being met and that portfolio investment returns are appropriate, based on the level of … Read more

Tax Revenue Forecasts Are Lowered as States Enter Budget Negotiations

GFOA Newsletter: March 30, 2017 Based on recent tax revenue data, many forecasts could be revised downward further, creating uncertainty and potentially difficult choices for states, according to an analysis for state income and sales tax forecasts for fiscal years … Read more

House Introduces Legislation to Classify Municipal Securities as High Quality Liquid Assets

GFOA News Letter  March 23, 2017 This week HQLA Champion Congressman Luke Messer (R-IN-6) has introduced bipartisan legislation (HR 1624) in response to a rule approved by the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Depository Insurance Commission, and the Comptroller of Currency … Read more

Investment Program for Public Funds

GFOA Newsletter  February 16, 2017 Type: Best Practice Background: Governments have a fiduciary responsibility in managing their funds, including the ongoing management and monitoring of investment activity. Developing a public funds investment program is essential to effective financial management, and it … Read more

GFOA Best Practice: Diversifying the Investment Portfolio

Type: Best Practice Approved by GFOA’s Executive Board: March 2007 Background: Government investors have a fiduciary responsibility to protect public funds and to prudently manage their investments in order to achieve the investment objectives of safety, liquidity, and return. Generally, greater risk … Read more

Help Your Government Manage Risk

GFOA newsletter August 18, 2016 To ensure that governments will be able to continue offering the services that residents need and want, organizations must have effective risk management measures in place. Risk management is a program designed to identify potential … Read more

Fed Minutes Could Still Hold Important Clues Post-Brexit Vote

Economists cite shift in FOMC tone even before U.K. vote Record could reveal crucial discussions on jobs, neutral rate By Christopher Condon and Steve Matthews, July 6, 2016 (Bloomberg) — Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s June meeting still … Read more

State General Fund Budgets Finally Surpass Pre-Recession Levels after Adjusting for Inflation

GFOA Newsletter  June 23, 2016 Most state budgets continue to grow at a moderate pace after several years of slow recovery in the national economy following the Great Recession. For the first time, estimated state general fund spending and revenues … Read more

Odds for interest rate hikes plunge after major jobs report miss

Provided by CNBC    June 3, 2016 The probability for a June rate hike plummeted Friday after a major miss in the May jobs report. The Labor Department report said U.S. economy added just 38,000 jobs, far below economist estimates of … Read more

Fed’s Lockhart Opposes Near-Term Rate Hike as U.S. Growth Slows

Atlanta Fed leader says first-quarter growth is disappointing Lockhart says he’d be fine with some overshooting on inflation By Steve Matthews (Bloomberg) — Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said he will no longer push for a rate … Read more