Taylor Riggs

Yields on tax-exempt bonds ended almost 20 basis points higher as weakened demand in the primary, illiquidity in the secondary, and a softer Treasury market pulled bond prices lower.

The Friday afternoon malaise in the tax-exempt market took hold as traders looked to next week's offerings and June 1 reinvestment money.

The tax-exempt market opened on a quiet note after a double-digit rise in yields earlier in the week left market participants recovering Friday morning.

The selloff in the tax-exempt market slowed as retail buyers resurfaced Thursday after Treasuries gained on worse-than-expected economic data.

The selloff in the tax-exempt market slowed Thursday afternoon as traders said munis started to bottom out and the recent spike in yields started to attract retail buyers back into the market.

The tax-exempt market looked to a large slate of primary deals Thursday with most of the week's issuance expected to price amid an overall weakening market.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority tested demand in a softer tax-exempt market with the biggest deal to hit the primary so far this week.

Retail pricing of $500 million of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority revenue bonds was well underway Wednesday afternoon amid an overall weaker session.

The tax-exempt market breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday morning after a selloff Tuesday that left yields as much as nine basis points higher.

The tax-exempt market followed Treasuries lower Tuesday, even though issuance is scheduled to be lighter than usual this week, and the market stands to benefit from June 1 reinvestment of about $34 billion in redemptions and coupon payments.

With few muni-specific forces at work, tax-exempts followed the lead of Treasuries Tuesday afternoon.

The tax-exempt market struggled to wake up Tuesday morning after the three-day weekend left trading sluggish to start.

The high-yield municipal market is on track to finish in positive territory for the 18th consecutive month even as the broader tax-exempt market extends losses into the sixth trading session Friday.

The tax-exempt market traded softer every session this week as buyers refused to put money to work at such high prices.

The tax-exempt market got off to a slow start Friday morning as the three-day holiday weekend approached.

The tax-exempt market weakened Thursday, extending its losing streak into five consecutive trading sessions, as buyers waited for muni yields to rise even further before putting money back to work.

The tax-exempt market continued to weaken Thursday as munis look expensive to Treasuries and buyers waited on the sidelines for rates to increase.

The tax-exempt market took a breather Thursday morning as most of the week's deals were already priced.

The municipal bond market ended only slightly weaker Wednesday, amid swings in Treasuries and the stock market, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed will continue buying $85 billion a month of bonds, though it may start tapering the pace of purchases in a few months.

The tax-exempt market held its ground amid a weaker Treasury market as traders said munis were no more than a basis point or two weaker.