
This section of MunicipalBonds.com features educational articles geared toward teaching investors on the basics of municipal bonds and municipal bond investing.
Municipal Debt Outlook for 2021
2021-01-08With 2020 in our rearview mirror, the year 2021 will likely be a year of change along with...
How Muni Bonds Fared in 2020 and What to Expect in 2021
2020-12-23Municipal bonds fared better than expected throughout 2020 despite the global pandemic and...
The Unpredictable Future of Publicly Funded Stadiums
2020-12-16Despite the positive news on the COVID-19 vaccine and the federal government’s efforts to mass...
Premium Bonds As a Cushion for Rising Rates
2020-11-26In the mid-1990s, the United States was emerging from a recession and facing unbalanced budgets,...
From Service Cuts to Budget Shortfalls: What Is in Store for American Transportation Agencies?
2020-11-25With a continued historic decline in ridership numbers and no additional federal help in sight,...
What Does President-elect Joe Biden’s Presidency Mean for Municipal Debt Markets?
2020-11-11In more ways than one, the 2020 American presidential election was a historic one: Joseph R....
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Municipal Debt Market
2020-10-28The municipal bond market was in great shape prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. After the passage of...
The Fiscal Future of American Cities Beyond 2020
2020-10-14As we are nearing the end of calendar-year 2020, contrary to earlier expectations and political...
Potential Impacts of Political Shift in the United States
2020-10-05From the widespread Coronavirus pandemic to the worldwide economic halt, 2020 also happens to be...
The New Normal for Local Governments and Credit Rating Downgrades
2020-09-21Between unemployment and underemployment at the individual level to impaired income sources for...
Stadium Bonds: A Homerun or Strike Out During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
2020-09-02The smell of fresh peanuts in the air. Frank Sinatra’s ‘Take me out to the ball game’ playing on...
Local Governments’ Fiscal Resilience to be Tested Long After COVID-19
2020-08-20All local governments throughout the United States are facing some serious fiscal and other...
College Towns Across the U.S. Are Bearing the Brunt of COVID-19
2020-08-05In the wake of COVID-19, California’s largest higher public education institution, California...
Transportation Agencies Are Bracing For The Worst
2020-07-22Widespread public fear of traveling and especially using public transportation paired with the...
Lost Tax Revenues and Potential Budget Cuts: The New Normal for Local Government Finances
2020-07-08As the entire country is still struggling to emerge from COVID-19, local and state governments...
Future of Airport Debt in the Midst of Travel Restrictions Around the World
2020-06-10The constant fear of COVID-19 and the uncertainty about the longevity of its financial impacts...
Sales Tax Revenue Forecast and Federal CARES Act in the Current Economic Downturn
2020-05-06With a “shelter-in-place” directive, rising unemployment figures and Coronavirus fears, the...
Getting Familiar with Education Sector Municipal Debt
2020-04-22Believe it or not, schools are the second-largest public infrastructure investment in America...
Understanding the New Wave of Green Debt
2020-02-05Municipal debt markets can cater to everyone from a conservative investor looking for principal...
Understanding Municipal Debt Backed by Transportation Districts
2019-11-27Transportation debt is unique in the way that it’s often issued for projects that can take a long...
Learnings from the Private Sector for Local Government Operations
2019-11-13The concept of public private partnership is nothing new and you will often see a strong presence...
Understanding Private Activity Bonds
2019-10-02In the fixed-income world, a private activity bond (PAB) is tax-exempt security issued by or on...
What Is a Dedicated Tax-Backed Municipal Debt?
2019-09-04A string of municipal bankruptcies following the 2008 financial crisis forced many investors to...
Everything You Need to Know About the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board
2019-08-07The municipal bond market is worth nearly four trillion dollars and directly supports municipal...
The Importance of Monitoring Municipal Bonds
2019-07-12The municipal bond market may not be as fast-moving as the equity or futures markets, but that...
Municipal Debt and the Looming Recession Talks
2019-06-26As the U.S. economy continues its longest period of growth and expansion, many leading economists...
How to Choose a Municipal Advisor
2019-06-12State and local governments rely on municipal securities to raise money to finance projects for...
Criminal Justice Reform – An Attractive Political Soundbite?
2019-05-29The American prison system is an $84 billion industry that has been viewed as a lucrative and...
Treasury vs. Muni Yield Curves: What Investors Need to Know
2019-05-15Most investors are familiar with interest rates, but it’s important to look beyond the headline...
Financial Implications of Natural Disasters on Local Governments and Investors
2019-05-01Whether it’s the draughts in California or hurricanes in the southeast parts of the United...
A Sanguine Paradigm for Local Governments to Curb Uncollected Sales Tax Revenues
2019-04-17Given the rapid change in technology and access to information, it’s safe to say that U.S....
Introduction to a Conduit Bond
2019-04-03The municipal bond market began as a general obligation market similar to the Treasury market....
What Makes Muni Bonds Attractive in 2019?
2019-03-06The municipal bond market has experienced its fair share of headwinds over the past few years,...
Know the Situations When Munis Don’t Offer Tax-Free Benefits
2019-02-20Many fixed-income investors gravitate towards municipal debt as an investment option because of...
Chapter 9 Bankruptcy: An Overview
2019-01-23As investors familiarize themselves with their respective issuer’s credit profile, they are...
Guide to Understanding an Official Statement for Municipal Debt
2019-01-09Prior to structuring or issuing any form of debt, the municipal issuer (local government)...
What Are Continuing Disclosures?
2018-12-26The municipal bond market is one of the largest markets in the world, with about $3.9 trillion...
Understanding the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) to Make Your Investment Decisions
2018-12-12As an investor in local government debt instruments, you might often hear the term ‘CAFR’ and its...
Yield Curve Inversion Risk
2018-11-28Investors often hear the term “yield curve” and how certain forces in financial markets and...
Municipal Bonds vs. Corporate Bonds: The Better Investment Vehicle
2018-09-05Everything from corporate debt to municipal debt instruments, the sheer size of U.S. capital...
Evaluating Municipal Debt Instruments Using Muni Bond Indices
2018-08-08Like other capital markets, municipal debt markets are made up of a wide array of debt...
The Markup Rule for Municipal Bonds
2018-06-21In bond transactions, investors are often curious to know the price that they pay for their...
Three Sneaky Ways Brokers or Dealers Can Take Advantage of Bond Transactions
2018-05-24Whether you are managing your own investment portfolio or a private or public institution looking...
How Does Inflation Impact Municipal Bonds?
2018-04-26Due to the ability of fixed-income instruments to produce fixed and recurring income, bond...
Profit by Exploiting These Factors
2018-02-15The relationship between different securities has always been central to financial analysis....
Impact on Muni Bonds of New Accounting Guidelines for Local Governments
2018-02-08New changes in accounting standards for state and local governments regarding retiree healthcare...
How Broad Perception Drives the Muni Market
2018-01-11The municipal bond market may seem rather straightforward with very low default rates and...
Introduction to Muni Bond Closed-Ended Funds
2017-12-28Municipal debt with investment grade ratings are generally regarded as a safer form of investment...
The Yield Curve and its Impact on Muni Bond Valuations
2017-10-12The municipal debt markets are comprised of a wide array of issuers and their respective debt...
Interpreting Credit Ratings for Municipal Debt
2017-09-21Almost every municipal debt investor puts the majority of their faith into the credit rating...
Introduction to Credit Cycle
2017-08-10Sir John Templeton once said, “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on...
Potential Benefits of All-To-All Trading in Muni Markets
2017-06-22The slow and steady electronification of municipal debt trading processes has certainly had a...
The Rise of E-Trading Platforms in the Fixed-Income Market
2017-06-15Electronic trading in the fixed-income market has experienced a surge as new platforms have come...
The Impact of Trump’s Policies on Sanctuary Cities
2017-06-08The Executive Orders (EOs) signed by President Trump have garnered plenty of national and...
Underwriter Spreads and How They Work for Munis
2017-05-11The process of registering, issuing and selling municipal bonds is a complicated endeavor that...
Introduction to Municipal Bonds Electronic Trading Platforms
2017-05-04Municipal bonds are used to finance everything from parking lots to airports, but buying a bond...
Top 10 Free Resources for Muni Market Updates
2017-04-20Municipal bonds are an important fixed income asset class for investors seeking above-market...
Better Disclosures to Deter Muni Market Frauds
2017-03-16The U.S. municipal bond market reached a new milestone by issuing more than $445 billion in...
Implications of European and Japanese Investments for the U.S. Muni Bond Market
2017-01-05The municipal bond market is commonly used by high-net worth individuals in the U.S. for their...
Should Municipal Notes Currently Fit in Your Investment Portfolio?
2016-12-22In recent months municipal market volatility caused primarily by interest rate expectations has...
Due Diligence for Muni Bonds
2016-11-24Due to the opaque nature of the municipal bond market, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)...
What Are Appropriation-Backed Muni Bonds?
2016-10-20Investors may think that all bonds are debts that a borrower is legally obligated to repay, but...
Why Low Yielding Muni Bonds May Actually Be Attractive
2016-07-21Treasury yields (30 year) fell to just 2.22% on July 12 (and even lower a day before), reaching...
How to Avoid Overpaying for Individual Muni Bonds
2016-06-23The municipal bond market is a popular safe haven during low interest rate periods, as their...
How to Avoid the AMT with Muni Bond Funds
2015-11-09Municipal bonds have long been a favorite investment class for tax-sensitive investors since the...
3 Important Bond Insurance Considerations
2015-10-28Municipal bonds have a number of complex features that may make them difficult for individual...
What Are Pre-Refunded Municipal Bonds?
2015-06-24Municipal Bonds are generally seen as safe investments since they are often backed by a series of...
How do Municipal Bonds Work?
2015-06-24Investing strategies can fall under a number of different philosophies; depending on the goals...
Accrued Interest: Definition, Formula, and Example
2015-06-24Bonds are the cornerstone of traditional debt financing for both the public and private sector...
The Municipal/Treasury Ratio: How Investors Should Use It
2015-06-24Muni investing is popular because it has the potential to offer higher yields than similar...
What Are Build America Bonds?
2015-06-24In 2009, the United States was suffering a major recession that had bond market investors running...
Municipal Bond Investing Glossary
2015-06-24Municipal bonds are a great way for investors to preserve capital and generate tax-free income....
General Obligation vs. Revenue Bonds: A MunicipalBonds.com Guide
2015-06-24There are over 80,000 issuers of municipal bonds in the United States. With so many different...
Municipal Bond Insurance: A Guide
2015-06-24Investors buy bonds to ensure a steady stream of interest payment income over the period of...