FOMC

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

Separately, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said the FOMC wouldn't raise rates in response to a “hot” labor market, out of fear over subsequent inflation.

The Federal Reserve is on track to begin increasing interest rates in 2023 if the economy performs as policy makers are projecting, Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said Wednesday.

President Joe Biden has a tough decision in choosing the next Federal Reserve chair: Play it safe by giving Jerome Powell a second term or take a chance on a liberal like Lael Brainard, who would please progressives in Congress yet potentially agitate Wall Street.

Joe Kalish, chief global macro strategist at Ned Davis Research, discusses his thoughts on when the Federal Reserve will announce it will cut back on its asset purchases, the possibility of Chair Jerome Powell’s re-nomination and what to expect from the Jackson Hole summit. Gary Siegel hosts (27 minutes)

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said that if the next two monthly U.S. employment reports show continued gains, he could back an announcement soon on scaling back the central bank’s bond purchases.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lael Brainard staked out some different ground from Chair Jerome Powell as the policy makers await a presidential decision on who should lead the central bank in the coming four years.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 could keep some Americans from looking for work, potentially harming the U.S. recovery.

Financial markets “are very well prepared” for the Federal Reserve to start tapering its massive asset-purchase program in the fall, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said.

The massive summer reinvestment into municipal bond mutual funds continue and are both sustaining the strength of investor demand and solidifying the technical footing of the market.

The economy continues to recover, with durable goods orders and consumer confidence suggesting strength, but concerns about the Delta variant of COVID-19 and continued supply-chain problems cloud the future outlook.