Lynne Funk is Senior Director, Strategy and Content, Live Media - Municipal Finance. She leads and shapes The Bond Buyer's six major events, serving as host, moderator, thought leader and brand ambassador. Lynne also is charged with creating innovative live media formats, including new conferences, virtual summits and podcasts to help serve our municipal finance community. Lynne has nearly two decades of experience in the public finance industry. She was most recently Executive Editor of The Bond Buyer. Previously, she was a director at Municipal Market Analytics, Inc., and in the Policy and Public Advocacy for the Municipal Securities Division at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.
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Munis are in the black so far this month, with the Bloomberg Municipal Index at +0.33% in December and +2.88% year-to-date, the high-yield index is at +0.27% in December and returning 8.41% in 2024, while taxable munis are returning 0.43% so far this month and 4.58% in 2024.
December 9 -
Investors will be greeted with a diverse new-issue slate the week of Dec. 9, led by bellwether names. If all the deals price, 2024's total should break 2020's record by the end of the week. Despite rich valuations, demand has remained strong as the year winds down.
December 6 -
With an estimated $13 billion calendar on tap, demand for paper will be bolstered by the $16 billion of redemptions coming Monday while mutual fund inflows, this week at about $560 million and concentrated in the long-end, signal solid investor support. Munis are returning 1.73% in November as of Friday.
November 29 -
The Investment Company Institute reported $1.221 billion of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds for the week ending Nov. 20. Exchange-traded funds saw inflows of $836 million.
November 27 -
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Supply has "declined materially, allowing dealers to take a breather, with their inventories dropping significantly, while retail investors do not seem to be spooked by rate volatility, lower taxes and possible threats to the tax-exempts, and continued putting money into tax-exempts at a brisk pace," said Mikhail Foux, managing director and head municipal research and strategy at Barclays.
November 22 -
Municipals are outperforming USTs to a large degree this month, with investment grade munis seeing positive 0.81% returns in November and 1.63% year-to-date. USTs are in the red at -0.40% in November with only 0.96% positive returns in 2024.
November 20 -
As headline risk swirls around the Fed and the transition to the Trump administration, municipals have largely stayed in their own lane. November finds the municipal market "in far better technical shape, with an attractive backdrop through at least year-end," J.P. Morgan's Peter DeGroot said.
November 15 -
October's "price path has created wider spreads but also brought higher yields that are now in the range where a broader audience may begin to take notice," said NewSquare Capital Senior Fixed Income Portfolio Manager Kim Olsan, noting higher taxable equivalent yields for different tenors of the yield curve.
October 31 -
Oppenheimer's Head of Public Finance Beth Coolidge and Columbus Auditor Megan Kilgore delve into the future of public finance and human infrastructure on a wide range of topics, from affordable housing and workforce development to public health, climate resiliency, and digital access.
October 29
