Aaron Weitzman currently covers a myriad of municipal topics on the sell side for The Bond Buyer. He is primarily responsible for covering the sell-side of the muni market, and often contributes to the daily coverage of the primary and secondary markets. Aaron also focuses in on bond insurance and underwriting businesses. Previously, he wrote for the fantasy sports website Rotoballer and covered the flooring industry for Hearst Business Media. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh.
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The secondary market took a backseat to the primary Thursday with yields holding steady while Lipper reported $833 million of inflows, the first since February 26.
April 16 -
ICI reported nearly $3 billion of outflows, which is foretelling that coronavirus-driven volatility still lingers even if the muni market has rallied by at least 60 basis points since early-April high yields.
By Lynne FunkApril 15 -
Municipal bond counsels accumulated $87.02 billion, up from the $75.14 billion in the first three months of 2019. The top spot remained the same but the rest of the top 10 saw a plethora of changes.
April 15 -
The two active municipal bond insurers insured $4.83 billion in the first quarter of 2020, an uptick from the $3.62 billion of wrapped deals done in the first three months of 2019. The year-over-year increase in the sector is noteworthy given that the primary market was shuttered for weeks in March due to the coronroavirus pandemic.
April 15 -
Confidence in the municipal market among participants has been boosted by the Fed purchase program, but some expect that if equities dive amid more coronavirus fears or re-test March lows, munis could be rattled once again.
April 13 -
The Fed will help the muni market navigate the short-term pain caused by coronavirus via direct purchases of bonds on the short end. However, the Fed will effectively hand off the responsibility to choose winners and losers to state officials, a move the market generally greeted positively.
By Lynne FunkApril 9 -
The market appears to be moving toward some semblance of normal conditions as the new-issue pricings and moderating bid volume create a more stable tone.
By Lynne FunkApril 8 -
Financial advisors in the municipal bond market accumulated $74.48 billion, up from the $65.03 billion in the first three months of 2019. The top four places remained the same but the rest of the top 10 all saw big changes.
April 7 -
Despite a muted month of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic which included two weeks of no negotiated deals, muni bond issuers still sold more long-term debt than they did during the first three months of 2019. Issuers accounted for a total of $84.87 billion of bonds throughout 2,119 transactions, compared to $75.84 billion in 1,809 deals in first quarter of 2019. The top 10 features five newcomers from a year ago, including the top spot.
April 7 -
Underwriters of municipal bonds did the majority of business during the first two months of the year, before COVID-19 swept the country with sickness and severe spreading. The top underwriters accounted for $87.84 billion of bonds throughout 2,119 transactions, compared to $75.84 billion in 1,809 deals in first quarter of 2019.
April 7