Municipal-bond yields at the highest in more than a decade are spurring optimism on the part of investment managers, who have been dealing with persistent fund outflows this year as the market has struggled along with the rest of fixed income.
The value of bonds directly owned by households fell by $18 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, dropping to the lowest level since 2008, according to Federal Reserve data. Instead, those buyers are moving toward mutual funds and exchange traded funds, which have roughly doubled their muni holdings over the last decade.
The U.S. Department of Education announced sweeping changes to its public service loan forgiveness program.
U.S. state and local governments look slated to spend more on crumbling infrastructure as federal aid bolsters their ledgers, low interest rates makes it cheaper to borrow and the nation’s economy recovers from the pandemic downturn, Moody’s Investors Service said.