The municipal market continued to see very strong performance during the third quarter of 2011. After 10-year rates fell 41 basis points (bps) during the first half of the year on strong demand flows and low supply conditions, rates in 10-years dropped another 53 bps during the third quarter. Performance for the quarter can largely be attributed to both the continuation of the supply/demand imbalances from the first half of the year and to the substantial rally that occurred in Treasuries.  Treasury 10-year rates fell 125 bps on lower-than-expected economic results and concerns over the European Union’s bailout of Greece.

Demand for municipals has generally been strong all year as the sector continues to allay fears of substantial default risk. Although municipalities continue to face ongoing budget challenges, so far they’ve met these challenges head on with austerity measures that have led to over 680,000 cuts in payroll since the third quarter of 2008. In addition, tax revenues have also seen a steady climb. State and local government revenues rose another 6.9% during the second quarter according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which marked the seventh-straight quarter of growth. These positive developments have resulted in the sector reporting defaults of only $1.1 billion during the year, which is about a quarter of the total exhibited in 2010 and well-below the predictions of over $100 billion.

Although demand has seemingly been consistently strong all year, much heavier supply over the last four weeks through October 7, 2011 resulted in a drastic level of underperformance relative to Treasuries. An average of approximately $8 billion per week came to market during this period, with $9 billion pricing during the first week of October. That helped pressure municipal yields higher by 48 bps in 10-years, while Treasury yields in 10-years were higher by only 16 bps. Additionally, the heavier supply conditions also forced many of the new deals to price at substantial concessions to historical spread levels to clear the market. The overall rise in yields resulted in the relative value profile for the sector to reach 2-year highs on October 7th, with tax-adjusted and nominal yield spreads to Treasuries reaching 172 bps and 56 bps, respectively.

The near-term outlook for the tax-exempt sector is positive. The substantial relative-value attractiveness of the municipal sector should continue to attract a number of buyers, including non-traditional cross-over investors who can’t use tax-exempt income. These buyers are primarily looking at the substantial dislocation in relative valuations as measured by the municipal nominal yield advantage to Treasuries and are betting that these dislocations eventually revert to their historical means. This demand trend is expected to help provide the sector with the needed sponsorship to help absorb what’s expected to be heavier supply flows through the last three months of the year.

Through the first three quarters of 2011, new issue supply has been running below 2010’s levels by approximately 35%; however, the current extremely low yield environment has created a new wave of unexpected refinancing/refunding opportunities for issuers. This potential additional supply, in conjunction with the typical increase in supply that occurs during the fall months, will lead to continued spikes in volatility in tax-adjusted and nominal yield spread relationships. It’s expected that crossover investors, traditional and non-traditional alike, will continue to treat these spikes as buying opportunities. As we move into December 1st and January 1st, demand should also increase as heavier reinvestment flows from coupon/calls/maturities enter the market. These positive demand technicals should result in tax-exempts outperforming Treasuries during the fourth quarter, especially if we see a substantial rise in Treasury rates from current levels.

Gregory A. Bell, CFA, CPA
Director of Municipal Products

Disclaimer: Asset Allocation & Management Company, LLC (AAM) is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in fixed-income asset management services for insurance companies. This information was developed using publicly available information, internally developed data and outside sources believed to be reliable. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts stated and the opinions given are accurate, complete and reasonable, liability is expressly disclaimed by AAM and any affiliates (collectively known as “AAM”), and their representative officers and employees. This report has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not purport to represent a complete analysis of any security, company or industry discussed. Any opinions and/or recommendations expressed are subject to change without notice and should be considered only as part of a diversified portfolio. A complete list of investment recommendations made during the past year is available upon request. Past performance is not an indication of future returns.

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Disclaimer: Asset Allocation & Management Company, LLC (AAM) is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in fixed-income asset management services for insurance companies. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. This information was developed using publicly available information, internally developed data and outside sources believed to be reliable. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts stated and the opinions given are accurate, complete and reasonable, liability is expressly disclaimed by AAM and any affiliates (collectively known as “AAM”), and their representative officers and employees. This report has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not purport to represent a complete analysis of any security, company or industry discussed. Any opinions and/or recommendations expressed are subject to change without notice and should be considered only as part of a diversified portfolio. Any opinions and statements contained herein of financial market trends based on market conditions constitute our judgment. This material may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events, targets or expectations, and is only current as of the date indicated. There is no assurance that such events or targets will be achieved, and may be significantly different than that discussed here. The information presented, including any statements concerning financial market trends, is based on current market conditions, which will fluctuate and may be superseded by subsequent market events or for other reasons. Although the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements that may be contained herein are believed to be reasonable they can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. AAM assumes no duty to provide updates to any analysis contained herein. A complete list of investment recommendations made during the past year is available upon request. Past performance is not an indication of future returns. This information is distributed to recipients including AAM, any of which may have acted on the basis of the information, or may have an ownership interest in securities to which the information relates. It may also be distributed to clients of AAM, as well as to other recipients with whom no such client relationship exists. Providing this information does not, in and of itself, constitute a recommendation by AAM, nor does it imply that the purchase or sale of any security is suitable for the recipient. Investing in the bond market is subject to certain risks including market, interest-rate, issuer, credit, inflation, liquidity, valuation, volatility, prepayment and extension. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission.