Municipal Bonds

Improve your income potential with a tactical, unconstrained strategy that sources opportunities across geographies and asset classes. BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund takes a risk-first approach while seeking to deliver a consistently attractive yield.

Happy National Cheap Flight Day! Yes, you heard that right—there is a national celebration day to mark the start of a lull in travel demand. Who knew this would be a day to celebrate? Regardless, it’s good news for consumers as airfares should continue their recent downward trend!

Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape our economies, labor markets, societies, and politics. But despite the rosy forecasts of an AI-driven boom, history shows that technological advances rarely lead to immediate improvements in living standards and often lead to profound disruption.

That anthem was characteristic of the era. After two decades of economic frustration, free market policies had prompted a surge of growth and a bull market for stocks. The captains of industry were corporate raiders, who purchased companies, slashed expenses, pushed up prices and reaped outsized rewards.

Although we think it's too early to declare the economy is in a recession, risk is elevated. For investors who are concerned about a recession, municipal bonds may help buffer a portfolio.

As recently as the beginning of this year the market pundits were predicting up to six Federal Reserve rate cuts to the short-term Federal Funds Rate. Shockingly, the pundits’ expectations have not come to fruition. Predictions based on the sentiment of the day fill the twenty-four-hour news cycle on multiple outlets.

Markets were recently rattled by concerns the U.S. may slip into recession, but it's not clear that those fears are justified.

Because there is unprecedented use of the word “unprecedented,” we thought it appropriate to expand our annual Charts for the Beach from 5 charts to 10 charts and tables this year. So, probably best to stay under the beach umbrella as you read our unprecedented extended edition.

Bond prices whipsawed over the past month as volatility spiked across markets. What's next for fixed income markets?

Having been warned about the risk, investors now ask if the yen carry trade unwind is complete. Here's how far it might still go.

Actively managed ETFs continued to gain traction in July with $24 billion of net inflows. This represented 19% of the industry’s net inflows.

Municipal bonds maintained their summer strength and posted a second-consecutive month of positive performance in July.

Hastily, investors have turned their worry about inflation into worry about a recession. The catalyst was Friday’s unexpectedly disappointing unemployment number.

The softening trends in both inflation and labor data are sending a message that monetary policy is too restrictive.

We are approaching a turning point in policy decisions as the FOMC attempts to walk the fine line of hitting their inflation targets while maintaining a healthy labor market.

Potential for another trade war fueled by a rise in global protectionist policies has investors revisiting the potential impact on stocks, inflation, and economic growth.

With growth moderating and inflation cooling, the US seems on track for a soft landing—as markets digest a stream of incoming information. Equity performance may be on the verge of broadening beyond a handful of stocks, and still-sizable bond yields bolster return potential.

In June, Capital Group added seven new actively managed products. Its executives were in New York last week to ring the NYSE closing bell.

While it's too early to declare small caps' recent outperformance as a meaningful trend shift, we continue to think high-quality companies and industries will likely perform well.

There are many advantages and risks associated with any investment. Whether you are buying a stock, a house, a business, or a bond, each investment has unique characteristics that allow an investor to gain from particular investment features with varying risks.

Discover what surprised markets in the second quarter of 2024 and understand the potential drivers of volatility for the third quarter.

The dilemma that all Fed committees and chairpersons face when the economic cycle nears a turn but then repeats itself can be summed up with Fed chair Jerome Powell’s recent references: “Easing too soon, too much could harm inflation progress.” “Easing too little, too late could unduly weaken the economy.”

It's important to understand the true meaning behind the names of investment funds, especially when it comes to those labeled "tax-managed"

Elections have been anything but easy for investors. What has been easy is financial conditions in the US relative to the level of policy rates, fostering the debate over the degree of policy restrictiveness as global monetary easing begins.

Broad measures of investment-grade municipal bonds didn’t do much of anything in the first half of 2024, but some believe it could be poised for some upside.

Softening inflation supports the potential for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in coming months, but there are complexities below the surface.

Although the market is off to a rough start to the year, we think it should recover.

With high yields and compelling opportunities, we think the muni market looks exceptionally attractive today.

Municipal bonds posted their strongest June performance since 2019. The asset class outperformed amid improving seasonal supply-and-demand dynamics. Looking ahead, July has historically been the strongest performing month of the year.

The labor market continues to normalize and soften, but we think any further weakening might push the Fed to cut rates before the 2% inflation target is reached.

We’re borrowing from the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics for our quarterly theme – with a twist. Instead of using the most popular events (like gymnastics, swimming, and track & field) to express our views, we’ll go beyond the spotlight.

The mid- to long-term costs of missed opportunities by staying in cash mean investors should consider moving off the cash sidelines.

Owning only the U.S. stock market likely means being overweight Tech. But Tech stocks don't always outperform. Investors may want to look outside the U.S. to be diversified.

Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

U.S. Treasury auctions are of interest lately due to growing U.S. debt and high interest rates. What are Treasury auctions, how do they work, and what should investors know?

Although bonds may not always be able to significantly contribute to growing an investor’s wealth, their lower risk profile can bring comfort in positioning an investor to maintain that wealth.

This year's tale of two markets has underscored resilience at the index level but considerable weakness at the individual member level, leading to massive performance divergences.

Financial markets have posed a number of vexing questions to investors over the past two years, not the least of which included the height to which interest rates could rise without negatively impacting US economic activity.

Market expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2024 have shifted dramatically, from six cuts expected at the start of the year, to barely one or two at this writing. Here’s why we think the US economy’s resilience and the year-to-date increase in yields may prolong an attractive opportunity in fixed income.

A rising number of U.S. taxpayers are subject to an investment income surtax, introduced a decade ago in federal legislation. Here are some strategies that may help mitigate the impact of the tax.

A top risk for investors, elections may see a shift from centrist to more populist policy that could slow exports, raise inflation, and increase volatility in the global markets.

In the second half of the year, investors will likely be navigating a potential divergence in monetary policy among the major economy central banks, a more normalized U.S. interest rate regime, and an equity market that may favor quality.

Municipal bonds deviated from U.S. fixed income assets and posted negative performance in May.

Certain segments of the economy and stock market have experienced much stronger recoveries this year, underscoring a severe bifurcation between the "haves" and "have nots."

Looking into the second half of the year, we are optimistic that returns will be stronger, but also expect volatility to remain elevated.

Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) measures the price paid for goods and services by consumers. It reflects changes in consumer behavior and captures inflation (or deflation) across a wide range of consumer expenses. Prices for both goods and services are measured.

Defending my love of dividends consumes a lot of my time. Sometimes I’ll pull out my track record. Other times I explain how owning boring and stable dividend stocks means I spend less time watching and worrying about them.

Higher coupons and interest payments can make premium municipal bonds worth the extra upfront cost.

Why is there so much angst among investors? The mixed economic signals may have a lot to do with it.

As the global economy builds on its recovery this year, markets may see increased volatility due to divergent central bank policies, geopolitics and election outcomes.

Discounted municipal bonds could expose you to unexpected taxes. Here's what to know before you buy.

Market factors are constantly changing and require monitoring, analysis, and flexibility by the investors when it comes to choosing appropriate investments.

Rather than dive into a vast pool individual bond options, these three ETFs can provide a low-cost and convenient option.

The two largest emerging markets have taken very different paths, echoing the divergence in the economic and demographic landscape for these two countries.

Recent challenges from higher rates and banking turmoil are well known to investors in preferred securities, but the performance of this asset class relative to other alternatives in fixed income may not be. Here’s why we think preferreds continue to offer attractive total return potential and a tax-advantaged income stream.

An elevated or rising rate environment creates pockets of opportunity within asset classes such as closed-end funds.

Bank lending standards are still restrictive, underscoring the Fed's view that financial conditions remain tight and any resulting economic weakness could keep rate cuts in play.

We think the intersection of hope and fear offers opportunity across asset classes and market segments. Tapping into it, however, requires in-depth research and a discerning eye. Waiting for a clarion bell to ring before deploying capital might leave investors a step behind.

Bonds investors now balance the potential risks and rewards of taking on longer duration exposures in the current environment.

One of the main advantages of constructing a portfolio of individual bonds is that it can be customized to meet the precise needs, wants, and objectives of the investor

While high-yield implies higher risk when it comes to bonds, HYD, which turned 15 years old in February, isn’t excessively risky.