Primary bond market

Losses for August climbed last week, with month-to-date returns in the red at negative 1.40% on the Bloomberg muni index, high-yield seeing 0.99% losses, taxables at 2.01% losses and the impact index losing 1.70%.

Investors will be greeted Monday with a decrease in supply with the new-issue calendar estimated at $6.711 billion, down from total sales of $10.318 billion.

Investors pulled $229.263 million out of muni bond mutual funds in the latest week, versus the $635.177 million of outflows the prior week, according to Refinitiv Lipper. High-yield continues to see inflows.

Brightline is building a 168-mile extension to Orlando International Airport of its original 70-mile line connecting Miami with West Palm Beach.

The short end was hammered in the secondary with large blocks of high-grades showing big swings to higher yields while the rest of the curve wasn't spared the damage and triple-A yields rose by seven to 16 basis points.

It was a busy day in the primary Tuesday, with New York City pricing $950 million of GOs for retail and Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, selling in the competitive market.

The city takes competitive bids Wednesday on $124 million of GOs.

Ramirez & Co. and Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC — two Hispanic MWBE firms — are joint bookrunners for the deal, part of Dallas County's sustained push to "maximize professional diversity on the issuance," officials said.

"Demand for low-duration tax-exempts has been so strong that short maturity benchmark yields are now lower than the after-tax yields for comparably rated benchmark taxable muni and corporate bonds," said CreditSights strategists Pat Luby and John Ceffalio.

Funding transit infrastructure is one of the county's key initiatives and also reinforces its policy to reduce carbon emissions, increase mobility equity and promote transit-oriented development, says Fitch's Michael Rinaldi.

New-issue volume grows to $10.7 billion led by a $2.7 billion taxable Massachusetts ESG deal, $1.35 billion of Oklahoma natural gas taxables, $1.25 billion from the Regents of the University of California and $1.1 billion from New York City.

"I think this deal is kind of like football in the pre-season," says County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick. "We're looking at this new issue as a run-up to next year — the big event — when we hope to be bonding for our new stadium for the Buffalo Bills."

Massachusetts had temporarily delayed the $2.7 billion sale as state lawmakers debated additional funding for the state's unemployment trust fund.

Pressure on the short end of the muni curve is being exacerbated by a 3.24% two-year Treasury note, from a correction to floating rate notes and dealer positions.

The debt issued through conduit Gallatin County, Montana, benefits an aerial firefighting company that went public through a SPAC weeks after the bonds sold.

The Investment Company Institute reported investors poured in $1.589 billion into muni bond mutual funds in the week ending August 3, the highest level since November.

Several large new issues priced. Municipal yields were little changed, U.S. Treasuries were weaker on the short end and stocks ended in the red ahead of the much-anticipated July inflation figure.

Weekly supply is holding below $5 billion, reinvestment needs are still in effect from large redemptions and fund flows are leaning more positive, noted FHN Financial's Kim Olsan.

Moody's revised Cook County, Illinois' outlook to positive ahead of its mix of sales tax-backed and general obligation bond deals.

Investors will be greeted Monday with an increase in supply with the new-issue calendar estimated at $5.941 billion, up from total sales of $1.700 billion.