FOMC

A lighter, $5 billion calendar, heavy on healthcare, kicks off November. Most participants agree volatility in U.S. Treasuries will be a leading factor for municipal market performance. Uncertainty in Washington also isn't helping the asset class.

ICI reported the lowest inflows since outflows in March, while exchanged-traded funds saw an uptick.

Jeffrey Cleveland, chief economist at Payden & Rygel, discusses the Federal Reserve’s upcoming meeting, inflation, what taper will mean, when the Fed might decide to lift off, and possible leadership changes. Gary Siegel hosts. (30 minutes)

Despite a short-end U.S. Treasury rally, municipals face pressure on the one- and two-year as participants look to month-end positioning.

Friday’s data suggested inflation remains a problem, as the voices calling for Federal Reserve action increase.

Another round of inflows was reported from the Investment Company Institute — the 31st consecutive week — but they came in at $308 million for the week ending Oct. 6, the lowest since outflows in March.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida traded between $1 million and $5 million out of a bond fund into stock funds one day before Chair Jerome Powell issued a statement flagging possible policy action as the pandemic worsened, his 2020 financial disclosures show.

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CB President Christine Lagarde said Wednesday that inflation “is largely attributable to the reopening of the economy.”

U.S. Treasuries sold off by double digits while municipals cut levels by one to three basis points. Refinitiv Lipper reported another $1.55 billion of inflows for the 29th consecutive week.

Municipals continue to stay in their own lane. ICI reported $1.4 billion of inflows in the 28th consecutive week.

Data released Tuesday reflected a murky picture on the strength of the economy, but the market’s eyes were fixed on the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting in Washington, D.C.

Market participants welcomed the municipal-related provisions in the reconciliation bill but are hesitant to start making bets on its passage.

Refinitiv Lipper reported just over $1 billion of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds, an $800 million drop from a week prior, moving the four week moving average to $1.6 billion.

Bond investors may not wait long to start pushing back against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s efforts to delink the start of asset-purchase tapering from the countdown to eventual policy-rate hikes.

The members of Congress, in asking that Biden find some other, unspecified, nominee, are going against the preference of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who has told Biden advisers that she wants to see Powell renominated.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell risks inflation getting out of control and his assurance that the central bank can keep it in check neglects to mention this would require traumatic surgery, said former Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told senior White House advisers that she supports reappointing Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that greatly increases his chance for a second term.

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said he’s open to adjusting his view that the Federal Reserve should start tapering its asset-purchase program sooner rather than later if the Delta variant persists and hurts economic progress.

As New York City launched the first of its two-day retail order period on $1.039 billion of GO bonds, the market was uneventful ahead of $9.76 billion in the primary market this week