NEW YORK - Pending home sales declined 1.2% to a reading of 88.6 in August from a revised 89.7 in July, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 1.5% decrease for the index.
Munis should do "relatively well" this month, as investors will "focus on heavy summer redemptions; tax-exempt supply should remain healthy but is unlikely to overwhelm," said Barclays strategists.
The Manhattan-based Ivy League university reached a settlement with the federal government last year. It is selling $487 million of bonds this month.
"The rates market has started to turn from the upper end of the trading range this week," Barclays strategists wrote, but with the war with Iran still driving the market, nothing is certain.
Changes in federal funding are sharpening the focus on how the states will be responding to disaster relief, running social programs and budget planning.
The defendants include many of the largest municipal bond underwriters.
The deal comes as high-yield muni investors are hungry for paper.
