Finance

At a Bond Buyer conference in Atlanta, industry leaders talked about tariff turmoil, the tax-exemption, weather resiliency, infrastructure and more. 

A couple of "bond-friendly" economic reports released Thursday could encourage the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates in the near future, some analysts argued.

For most investors, partnership matters, said Jamie Doffermyre, head of public finance syndicate and origination at Truist Securities.

While April was a challenging month for muni performance, this summer will be a more supportive environment, said Mark Paris, chief investment officer and head of municipals at Invesco.

The muni market is recovering from tariff turmoil, and is more resilient than the day-to-day volatility suggests, Jamie Doffermyre of Truist Securities said.

Even with Monday's U.S.-China tariff truce and Tuesday's inflation print, the market has felt better over the past several weeks, said Jamie Iselin, managing director and head of municipal fixed income at Neuberger Berman.

Student loan issuers are watching federal policy, from the Department of Education to the tax-exemption, to decide on the timing and size of their annual deals.

Munis yields followed UST yields higher Monday, rising one to four basis points, depending on the scale, but the asset class outperformed USTs.

"In our view, the worst for munis is behind us, at least for now; tax-exempts might continue to outperform, but only to a degree as technicals will remain somewhat challenging," Barclays strategists said.

The recent firmness in the market has been "much appreciated," said Shannon Rinehart, senior portfolio manager of municipal debt at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

The rating agency expects a decline in U.S. air passenger numbers this year due to a deceleration in U.S. economic growth, it said in a report this week. 

The bonds have not reacted to the most recent negative ratings actions, although one buysider said that may soon change.

The downgrade pushes $2.2 billion of private activity bonds issued for the passenger train startup though the Florida Development Finance Corp. to junk.

Muni yields remain attractive, said Tom Kozlik, managing director, head of public policy and municipal strategy at HilltopSecurities.

Lawsuits claiming the LADWP failed to keep a reservoir filled or maintain water equipment were cited in KBRA's downgrade of its water system's revenue bonds.

Harvard University's ongoing legal battles and the return to market by Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority lead a host of municipal topics in April.

Most of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center's debt hasn't traded hands for years.

Focus was on the primary market last week, with Birch Creek reporting that one dealer estimated that 90% of the focus earlier in the week was on new issues.

"For munis, a strong jobs report should reverse recent credit spread widening, while a weak jobs report should keep credit spreads around current levels," said BofA strategists.

The ratings agency changed its outlook on its BBB-minus rating to negative from stable Wednesday.