Market Insights
Our latest insights on bond market activity

US Credit Rating Downgrade
Duration: 02:31
Transcript: As we know, Moody’s downgraded the treasury markets this week. What does that really mean for you?

Bonds Lead, Stocks Follow: Key Moves Across Markets and Impacts on MUNIs
• As we saw on May 21, long-term borrowing costs for all major economies are surging as investors question the government’s ability to cover massive budget deficits. The 30-year bond yields in the US and Japan reached multi-year highs.

Policy Volatility and Credit Repricing: What’s Ahead for MUNI Investors?
Maryland’s credit rating was downgraded one level to Aa1 from Aaa by Moodys. This downgrade was a direct result of its exposure to shifting federal policies, according to a May 14 report.
Read our latest musings about actions and events affecting the investment landscape.

How You Can Have Confidence in a Market Storm
US investors are currently grappling with a challenging market environment. The recent fluctuations in both stock and bond markets have led to a decrease in the value of their investment portfolios, causing significant concern.

Bond Market Whiplash: Postponed Deals, Equity Losses & the Rising Flight to Safety – What a difference 4 days make
• We saw another +20-bps day on 4/9 based on evaluations as MUNIs continued the selloff. The rout drove the 10-year AAA benchmark to 3.80%, which is the highest since at least 2011, according to Bloomberg evaluations.

Bond Market Reacts to Tariff Concerns & Fed Expectations—What’s Next for Yields?
The bond market is rallying as central banks are expected to ease monetary policy to mitigate the negative impact of the trade war on economic growth. This does make sense, and we expect this to happen. The market is also telling you this with the sharp decline in...

MUNI Market Insights: Rising Yields, Postponed Deals & Market Shifts
As we have been discussing, we are now seeing deals get postponed with the spike in yields. This week, a 1.15B high-yield MUNI bond deal was postponed for a Wisconsin issuer, along with others. I suspect you will see more deals get pulled as should yields continue to...

Video: Does Volatility Present an Opportunity to Muni Bond Investors?
Duration: 3:10
Transcript: Volatility is generating an opportunity. If you are looking to put money to high grade securities, if you’re looking to protect your wealth, or if you’re looking for tax advantage type stuff, it might be a good time to take a look at munis.

Video: Should You Worry About the Possibility of Tax Exemptions Going Away?
Duration: 2:24
Transcript: If we have an exemption that goes away, Municipalities would have to compete against say corporate bonds as an example. We’ve been asked a lot about tax exemption on municipal bonds.

Video: Should You Buy Securities with Longer or Shorter Dated Maturities?
Duration: 4:17
Transcript: If you’re looking to buy higher grade securities with a higher rate of return, then you might consider going out a little further. If you are only seeking to build a ladder, one to five years in this example, we can certainly help you with that.

Video: DRL’s Perspective on Credit Quality and Bond Insurers
Duration: 2:01
Transcript: We primarily try to stick with double a rated paper or higher. The reason being is that we feel comfortable with overall credit qualities, double a rated or higher due to the low default rate on those securities.

Video: Our Experience is Your Advantage
Duration: 2:49
Transcript: I got in the business August of nineteen ninety four, and my introduction to the business was Orange County filing bankruptcy. That was a very big moment in the municipal bond world.