Primary bond market

Municipal volume is estimated at a lean $558.8 million with $494.7 million of negotiated deals and $64.2 million on the competitive slate. Thirty-day visible supply is at $3.17 billion.

Despite outside pressures, municipal fundamentals are strong with improving credit pictures, issuers flush with federal cash and the ongoing supply-demand imbalance.

It marked the 40th straight week of positive flows into the long-term funds and brought the total inflows for this year near $82 billion. Exchanged-traded funds saw $168M of inflows.

Triple-A yield curves were unchanged on the day and mostly have not budged but a basis point in spots since the end of November.

Coming off last week's $19.5 million influx of weekly new issues, supply this week is lower as the market watches the Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

There are $8.127 billion of negotiated deals on tap and a mere $367.4 million of competitive loans slated, none over $100 million. Thirty-day visible supply totals $9.9 billion and net negative supply is at $8.4 billion.

Chicago's captured a new low in recent history on tax-exempt spreads but the taxables, which were downsized by $500 million, faced a tougher road amid Treasury volatility.

State officials will wrap up a busy year a sale that includes a social bonds component.

Municipal yield curves were little changed for the seventh straight session while Refinitiv Lipper reported the 40th week of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds, with high-yield seeing a large increase week over week.

"The vast majority of muni issuers are trying to do the right thing,” Zehner said. “The vast majority of underwriters and municipal advisors are trying to do the right thing.”

The Investment Company Institute reported $289 million of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds in the week ending Dec. 1, down from $965 million in the previous week.

Thirty-day visible supply drops to $13.54 billion with still a large chunk of new issues to be priced Wednesday and Thursday.

Chicago's long-planned refinancing was led by a GO tranche priced Tuesday with spreads of 33 to 86 basis points, and follows with the Sales Tax Securitization piece Wednesday.

The municipal market is poised to absorb the late-year burst of supply as market technicals are expected to remain positive through year end.

Much of the Oregon Health & Science University deal funds a hospital expansion, but it also includes a tender exchange and a privately placed forward refunding.

The weaker-than-expected employment report sent U.S. Treasury yields lower and equities sold off. Munis did what they've been doing — mostly ignored it.

Refinitiv Lipper reported a significant drop in municipal bond mutual fund inflows at $36 million in the latest week, a signal the volatility of other markets may be creeping in. High-yield saw $53 million of inflows.

The Investment Company Institute reported $974 million of inflows into municipal bond mutual funds in the week ending Nov. 23, down from $1.430 billion in the previous week.

Powell says the FOMC will consider ramping up tapering when more information about Omicron and its impacts are known, further flattening the UST yield curve.

Economists appear to be less concerned about Omicron, with some saying that even if the variant causes another pandemic wave, it is more likely to "slow rather than interrupt" the global economic recovery.