Markets

In the week ended Oct. 20, the weekly average yield to maturity of the Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index rose two basis points to 3.94% from 3.92% in the previous week. The BB40 Index is based on the price of 40 long-term bonds.

Michael J. Belsky, co-founder of The Vector Group, avoids timing the market and focuses on limiting volatility in the municipal bond portfolios he manages.

Illinois' arrangement to directly place $600 million of existing floating-rate debt with four banks received a positive review from Moody's Investors Service though its Baa2 rating and negative outlook are unchanged.

The weekly average yield to maturity of The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index, which is based on 40 long-term bond prices, rose seven basis points to 3.92% from 3.85% in the previous week.

Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., one of the top municipal bond firms in the United States and the largest African-American, Latino and woman-owned investment bank in the nation, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Thursday.

In the week ended Oct. 6, the weekly average yield to maturity of the Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index rose four basis points to 3.85% from 3.81% in the previous week. The BB40 Index is based on the price of 40 long-term bonds.

Chris Ryon, who manages municipal bond funds totaling $11 billion at Thornburg Investment Management, favors the safer end of the risk spectrum, keeping durations lower than usual, and maintaining higher reserve positions.

In the latest installment of Muni Minute – The Bond Buyer's 60-second video series that examines a top municipal market story that will have an impact in the coming week – we look at the National Association of Municipal Advisors annual conference in New Orleans, where where its members will hear from industry participants on topics such as bank loans, credit rating agencies, disclosure, and public private partnerships as well as current and ongoing regulatory initiatives like Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board rules and findings from two years of examinations of muni advisors.

The weekly average yield to maturity of The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index, which is based on 40 long-term bond prices, fell two basis points to 3.81% from 3.83% in the previous week.

The UCLA Anderson Forecast economists discussed what impact policies proposed by the presidential candidates would have on economic growth.