Munis

Jim Colby, senior municipal strategist and author of the Muni Nation blog at Van Eck, talks about what’s happened in the municipal bond market since March 20. He looks at the big picture after COVID-19 and drills down into municipal bond funds and ETFs. Chip Barnett hosts this remote podcast.

The new direct-pay bonds would be an improvement from the Build America Bonds because they would be exempt from the sequestration cuts.

Municipal bond prices remained steady as more supply hits the screens.

Conditions under a recently announced temporary exemption are narrow, SEC staff said, despite push back from dealers.

Despite the coronavirus wrecking havoc all over the world and with the brunt of the damage occurring in the second quarter of the year, municipal bond issuers have sold just over $23 billion more than they did at this time last year.

The top 10 saw three firms that were not in it last year and only one firm remained in the same position compared to the previous year's first six months.

Financial advisors in the municipal bond market accounted for $159.85 billion so far in 2020, more than the $138.61 billion in the first six months of 2019. There was only one change in the top-five year-over-year.

Upcoming competitive long-term bond sales

Restoration of tax-exempt advance refunding might be inserted into the Senate's coronavirus relief package.

Analysts had mixed reactions on what could have caused the decline, pointing to some municipalities closing out their fiscal years at the end of June.

Municipals finished little changed ahead of this week's new-issue slate while retail investors are coming back into the market.

UMB claims the bonds for the Kansas hotel project are in default because the developer failed to secure a $52 million loan required by the bond indenture.

The Bi-State Development Agency, which manages St. Louis public transit, took a two-notch downgrade from S&P Global Ratings over the pandemic's impacts.

Yields have essentially remained flat since mid-June as the market has digested new issues well and investors are starved for paper, especially tax-exempts.

Marc Pfeffer, chief investment officer at CLS Investments, talks about today’s municipal bond market and looks to the future.

The audit reported "significant evidence" of malfeasance at the Sweetwater Union High School District and cast a skeptical eye on why it chose a bond rater.

A state appeals court rejected the one of the state government’s attempts to eliminate the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, but the legal battle continues.

Long Island county looks to offset COVID-19-related revenue losses.

The municipal market saw a $40 billion-plus month for the second time this year, as issuers flooded the market with bond sales during the month of June.

Citing market turmoil from the pandemic, a California conduit issuer gave the Virgin Trains USA project a five-month extension to sell $3.25 billion of debt.