Buy side

Municipal volume is expected to exceed $8 billion for a 10th straight week, led by a rare issue from Honolulu.

Tax revenue in the top oil producing states has fallen sharply, dropping by 40% in Texas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The weekly average yield to maturity of The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index, which is based on 40 long-term bond prices, increased four basis points to 4.31% from 4.27% for the week ended March 5.

Dorothy Thomas at Regions Investment Management is keeping duration short, with low exposure to the long end of the curve, a focus on high-quality securities, and building cash flow.

Florida Gulf Coast University's credit outlook stabilized Monday when two rating agencies found that recent modifications to the terms of a direct bank loan lessened the institution's contingent risk.

Kroll Bond Rating Agency assigned its AA-plus rating to New York state general obligation bonds in its first ever rating of the Empire State.

Small colleges are having a hard time but college mergers may help out, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Weekly municipal volume is set to increase to a three-month high, led by bond sales from the University of California and New York City.

For the week ended March. 5, the weekly average yield to maturity of the Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index, which is based on 40 long-term bond prices, moved up two basis points to 4.27% from 4.25% the previous week.

BlackRock, Inc. is expanding its iShares Exchange Traded Fund business with a municipal bond fund.

A bill designed to ease Detroit's first appearance in the public debt market since its bankruptcy sailed through a Michigan legislative committee and could come before the Senate next week.

Standard & Poor's lowered its ratings on Sweet Briar College's bonds to B-minus from BBB due to a recent decision to close the central Virginia woman's college.

Portfolio manager Michael Pepe is buying bonds with 10-year call provisions and hospital bonds with attractive yields to cope with a flat yield curve and tight spreads as the market awaits higher interest rates.

Hospital credits could be hurt if the Supreme Court strikes down federal health insurance subsidies established by the Affordable Care Act, Moody's Investors Service said Tuesday.

Strong overall demand for municipals and opportunities for relatively attractive yields in the new-issue market should propel interest in next week's primary market sized at nearly $9 billion.

Standard & Poor's had more than two times more upgrades than downgrades in 2014.

The weekly average yield to maturity of The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index, which is based on 40 long-term bond prices, declined one basis point to 4.25% from 4.26% for the week ended Feb. 19.

In a review of key public finance sectors affected by falling oil prices, Moody's Investors Service analysts see an upside for transportation and those supported by consumer spending.

There are few lay-ups in muni bond investing, but jettisoning buy-and-hold for dynamic tax management may be one of them.

Some portfolio managers have moved beyond merely matching benchmarks as they strive to match clients’ goals.