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.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged an Illinois-based broker with defrauding three investors out of $800,000 by luring them into investing in nonexistent tax-exempt bonds.
A majority of firms anticipate less volume in 2022 than the record hit in 2020, but how policies from Washington and the path of overall economic activity in a still-recovering global economy with COVID overhang make predicting volume more difficult.
Municipal yields fell as much as three basis points on Friday as Treasuries soared in a flight-to quality bid as stocks plunged on fears about the emergence of a new COVID variant.
Municipal financial professionals have to work with elected leaders to develop better policies to issue more tax-exempt debt in a fiscally prudent manner otherwise the infrastructure investment gap will likely continue to grow.
With the leadership questions mostly answered, the Fed must figure out what to do about inflation. The markets expect the Fed will have to raise rates sooner than planned, and perhaps speed up taper to do so.
High-rated top-tier universities have weathered the pandemic reasonably well, while lower-rated colleges have experienced a worsening of problems and investors should be cautious.
This week will be all about the secondary market given that the majority of issuance was priced earlier in the month while Dec. 1 coupon payments should make secondary offerings look attractive.
McKinsey partners had access to material nonpublic information about Puerto Rico while overseeing an internal fund's investment decisions that included the sale of $1 million of Puerto Rico bonds, the SEC said.
A request by the Department of Justice could delay the confirmation of the Puerto Rico bankruptcy until March or beyond and that in turn could lead to the current deal's collapse.
Citing lingering questions about the bank's policies on financing of firearms manufacturers, the Bond Commission chose Wells Fargo (WFC) for the refinancing deal.
The state will take a fresh dose of good rating news into the market when it competitively sells $400 million to fund pension buyouts and capital expenditures.
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board?s new report on the use of internal and external liquidity in the municipal bond market shows that for transactions under $100,000 external liquidity has steadily increased since 2011.
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.