Primary bond market

Until supply increases, year-end demand has munis outperforming. ICI reports another multi-billion week of inflows.

Florida’s privately owned passenger train company, which halted service citing the coronavirus pandemic, is bringing $950 million of nonrated private activity bonds.

Munis are likely to lag Treasuries in some fashion once year-end empathy settles in mid-month and ratios become a factor.

Although November posted the lowest monthly volume total this year, issuance has already exceeded 2019's total and is on track to set a new yearly record in 2020.

After volume in November came in around $19 billion, the lowest since 1999, investors look to December.

The Regional Transportation District will issue $340 million for Denver Transit Partners, the concessionaire of three Denver-area commuter rail lines for RTD.

Michael Chalker, portfolio manager and senior analyst at LM Capital Group, talks with Chip Barnett about the fixed-income markets and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. (16 minutes)

Illinois will borrow $2 billion through the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility to help manage its 2021 budget gap. The state previously borrowed $1.2 billion from the MLF for its fiscal 2020 pandemic hole.

The Investment Company Institute reported municipal bond funds saw $2.675 billion of inflows in the latest reporting week.

Fitch Ratings cited concerns about LADWP's debt leverage in setting a negative outlook.

Sources said the JFK deal was massively oversubscribed, allowing underwriters to lower yields from 15 to 45 basis points.

Municipals held firm ahead of this week's new issue slate, which features deals from issuers in New York and Texas. Treasuries weakened as stocks rose on positive coronavirus news.

Selling in a week with an expected light calendar should help the deal as will market fundamentals.

Municipals continue to rally as market participants get ready to head into a quiet holiday week.

Large blocks of New Jersey paper changed hands with yields that pushed spreads below 100 basis points on some maturities for the recently downgraded state.

Sarah Mitchell, CFA and a portfolio manager at Mondrian Investment Partners, talks with Chip Barnett about one of the hottest sectors in the municipal bond market today – green bonds – and the possibility of the U.S. government issuing a sovereign green bond. (20 minutes)

A supply/demand imbalance allowed New Jersey and Massachusetts to reprice to lower yields while the beleaguered New York MTA will head back to the Fed for liquidity.

The strong demand amid a dearth of new municipal issuance by states and a reach for yield also allowed New Jersey to skip a planned taxable portion and officials announced it would not need to access the Fed's Municipal Liquidity Facility.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is promoting a $950 million restructuring that adds three years to the city's debt service schedule as present value neutral when factoring in savings from a more traditional $750 million refunding.

Municipals were steady to stronger ahead of $11.5 billion of supply as requests for new municipal bond identifiers surged almost 40% last month.