Buy side

The municipal market slogged through a long week of sell-offs as too much supply flooded into it all at once, prompting increases in muni bond indexes.

Investors sent money to municipal bond mutual funds for a sixth consecutive week, though at a decreased pace.

Trident Municipal Research, LLC and Savader Asset Advisors LLC have formed a strategic alliance to offer joint research content and service to investors.

Tax-exempt money market funds amassed $2.92 billion in new cash as total net assets rose to $275.72 billion in the week ended Dec. 10, according to The Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com.

Fitch Ratings has assigned a stable outlook for 2013 to the colleges and universities sector, based on demand and enrollment, liquidity, and risk management.

Representatives from a rating agency and the investment community weighed in on the dramatic changes affecting the higher education business model at The Bond Buyer 501(c)3 conference.

Pension funding bonds are more likely to hurt, rather than help, the credit of the state or local government issuing them, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service.

Janney Capital Markets said in a report this week that the spreads on single family housing finance agency bonds are attractive, given reduced concerns of credit risk.

Upholding a recent downward trend that began in early 2011, the household sector continued to pare its holdings of municipal debt in the third quarter, declining by $65.9 billion, or 3.6%, to $1.75 trillion, one of its lowest levels of ownership since 2008, according to new data released last week by the Federal Reserve Board.

Lumesis, Inc. has launched a new product that aims to provide municipal market professionals with easy, cost-effective access to comprehensive bond reports.

December issuance sticks to form as the muni bond market should expect a hefty calendar this week, to the tune of an anticipated $11.61 billion of total volume.

After a difficult few years, municipal floating rate notes are regaining a foothold in the market.

State Housing Finance Agency delinquency rates continue to rise despite an improving housing market, Moody's reports.

Municipal bond mutual funds recorded their fifth straight week of inflows, and their 62nd week of positive flows in the past 66 weeks.

The Municipal Bond Club of New York announced its new officers for the coming year.

Many in the municipal market saw this week as the right time to dump inventory and dive into what is one of the last large calendars of the year.

Total net assets among tax-exempt money market funds saw cash generation again this week, accumulating $757.5 million, which was more than last week's inflows.

For 2013 Fitch Ratings has more negative than positive outlooks on state and tax-supported local governments.

The week's largest deals have arrived to give the municipal market a year-end feel. As expected, investors are feeding at the new-issue trough and largely ignoring the secondary.

With an eye on growing its public finance business, New York City-based broker-dealer Lebenthal & Co. LLC has hired William Ludolph to head its municipal underwriting efforts.