Markets

High-yield continues to be sought after as high-grade paper is yielding about 0.70% in 10 years and 1.40% or lower in 30 years and credit spreads continue to tighten in nearly every sector. Ratios are near 20-year record lows.

Acacia and Estrada grew substantially.

McCall Parkhurst & Horton and Norton Rose Fulbright moved up in 2020 to second and third.

It is most certainly an issuers' market as rates are low, credit spreads continue to tighten, money pours into municipal bond mutual funds at record levels and a net negative supply of more than $11 billion.

Issuance dropped 26.7% in January, tax-exempt issuance fell 32.6% while refundings and taxables saw smaller declines. Part of the drops were due to the typical nature of lighter January issuance but also issuer anticipation of potential federal aid to combat the pandemic.

The junk-rated district that is managing the COVID-19 pandemic's fiscal impact with the help of federal relief trimmed spread penalties as investors were drawn to the extra yield offered for the junk paper.

Chicago Board of Education bonds were repriced to lower yields by as much as 37 basis points, showing just how far investors will go for any incremental yield.

The Foothill-Eastern toll road authority in California made a tender offer ahead of a planned sale, and exchanged the bulk of the debt it wanted to refund.

Rising state-supported debt and sidestepping best practices alarm the comptroller.

The rating agency placed 637 of the roughly 3,400 school districts it rates on review for upgrade or downgrade, and upgraded 85.