Markets

The municipal bond market took direction from secondary trades and Treasuries this week as a light new-issue calendar took a back seat.

Outflows from municipal bond mutual funds continued into a 15th straight week, with withdrawals in the period ended Sept. 4 amounting to $1.31 billion, according to Lipper FMI data.

The Bond Buyer's weekly yield indexes continued to climb the week ended September 5.

Outflows curtailed the growth of tax-exempt money market funds for a second week in a row as $2.18 billion exited the industry and total net assets fell to $267.71 billion in the week ended Sept. 2, according to The Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com.

There is undoubtedly considerable waste from inefficient advance refundings, but let's not throw out opportunities to save taxpayers' money, when warranted, by giving credence to half-baked theories based on shoddy scholarship, says Andrew Kalotay.

Citi has entered into a new partnership with TMC to offer its negotiated new-issue municipal bonds to dealers in the retail fixed-income trading system's network.

A federal judge sided with American Airlines in agreeing to set a November trial date for the federal government's civil antitrust lawsuit against the airline's merger with US Airways Group.

Investors returning from the Labor Day holiday will be met with slim pickings in the primary market this week as long-term volume is expected to drop to just over $1.50 billion this week, led by the pricing of two higher education financings on Wednesday.

The plunge in long-term municipal bond volume for 2013 continued as issuers in August floated 37.7% less than they did over the same period in 2012, the latest sign that rising interest rates are curbing issuer demand.

The Bond Buyer's weekly yield indexes continued to climb the week ended August 29.