Munis weaker ahead of $6.9B new-issue calendar

BY SourceMedia | MUNICIPAL | 03/27/26 04:03 PM EDT By Jessica Lerner

Muni yields were weaker Friday, as U.S. Treasuries saw losses out long and equities sold off.

Ending a challenging week with ongoing geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices, muni yields were cut one to four basis points, depending on the scale.

The 10-year UST "bounced off" the 4.50% level, which helped with the smaller cuts on Friday compared with Tuesday's sell-off, said Jock Wright, an underwriter at Raymond James.

Additionally, the absence of sizable issuance on Friday allowed the market to hang in there a bit. Supply also slows next week, which should provide additional support, he said.

Furthermore, there could be some short covering heading into the weekend, as people may not want to be short during that time, which may be part of the reason "we're not going down too much," Wright said.

<img src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/28266081/thumbnail" width="100%" alt="visualization" /> <img src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/28266067/thumbnail" width="100%" alt="visualization" />

New-issue calendar
The new-issue calendar is an estimated $6.863 billion, with $5.473 billion of negotiated deals on tap and $1.389 billion of competitives.

The Black Belt Energy Gas District leads the negotiated calendar with $1.065 billion of gas revenue bonds.

The competitive calendar is led by the University of Houston System Board of Regents with $368 million of consolidated revenue and refunding bonds.

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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