Buy side

At a Bond Buyer conference in Atlanta, industry leaders talked about tariff turmoil, the tax-exemption, weather resiliency, infrastructure and more. 

A couple of "bond-friendly" economic reports released Thursday could encourage the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates in the near future, some analysts argued.

For most investors, partnership matters, said Jamie Doffermyre, head of public finance syndicate and origination at Truist Securities.

While April was a challenging month for muni performance, this summer will be a more supportive environment, said Mark Paris, chief investment officer and head of municipals at Invesco.

Chicago will host its annual investor conference on Thursday as Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration faces challenges including a $1.12 billion deficit.

Even with Monday's U.S.-China tariff truce and Tuesday's inflation print, the market has felt better over the past several weeks, said Jamie Iselin, managing director and head of municipal fixed income at Neuberger Berman.

Munis yields followed UST yields higher Monday, rising one to four basis points, depending on the scale, but the asset class outperformed USTs.

"In our view, the worst for munis is behind us, at least for now; tax-exempts might continue to outperform, but only to a degree as technicals will remain somewhat challenging," Barclays strategists said.

Federal threats to grants and the tax exemption continue to push universities to the bond market. This week, it was MIT, Yale, and Suffolk University's turn.

The recent firmness in the market has been "much appreciated," said Shannon Rinehart, senior portfolio manager of municipal debt at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.