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Posts Tagged ‘Municipal bond’

“Welcome To The Everything Boom”

July 20th, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

The July Letter almost didn’t make it as the same old, same old markets continued their gravity defying ways. On July 7th however, The New York Times saw fit to publish this headline as their front-page lead: “From Stocks to Farmland, All’s Booming, or Bubbling.” (more…)

The Mood of Municipal Bonds

June 2nd, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

When one thinks of municipal bonds, generally the next thought is…boring.  Bonds are usually boring; adding municipal to the mix should make them more so.  Bonds have a job to do and for most of the past several decades they have performed.  Primarily we have the trend to thank. (more…)

Scratching & Clawing

April 8th, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

My firm belief that market conditions will (eventually) change gives me the optimism to approach each day as if today is that day.  Then comes my monthly Municipal Market Letter writing day and of course it seems as if nothing has changed…ever.  The first quarter of 2014 is gone and what has changed?  While I know that this is not altogether true, the mileposts seem to be moving hardly at all. (more…)

A Point & Click World

March 7th, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

I found myself thinking I have lived through this time before.  Stocks are at all-time highs (again), homes are being torn down for new ones (again), internet stocks and their firms are cool (or hot, again) and the idea of trading municipal bonds via point and click is not only a reality but seemingly continues to gain momentum. (more…)

The Great Wait May Be Over

February 11th, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

The optimism, the good news, the earnings reports and everything else wonderful has culminated in the beautiful rise in stock prices.  Climbing the Wall of Worry?  There is no worry as this one way freight train moves only in one direction smashing all the remaining bears with it. (more…)

Any Further Than I Can Throw Them

January 30th, 2014 by Kurt L. Smith

Crippling debt is not a problem for companies, governments, municipalities or even individuals until the day it is a problem.  The power of greater leverage can be downright amazing and spectacular.  But when it comes to your money I no longer believe the risks associated with leveraged issuers are worth the reward. (more…)

High Prices Be Damned

December 20th, 2013 by Kurt L. Smith

For some things in life, the price is the price.  You must pay it because you have to or you need to pay it.  With one son in college and another on his way next year, I know all about prices one must pay.  Some people look at investing the same way: the cost is the price one must pay. (more…)

Great Success

November 11th, 2013 by Kurt L. Smith

The financial markets spent most of October peaking so why should I add my usual dose of downer?  Instead, in the spirit of thanks and Thanksgiving, why not look back at some of our successes and revisit why we choose the path we do. (more…)

The Fed Chooses To Punt

October 7th, 2013 by Kurt L. Smith

The Federal Reserve Board chose to do more of the same in September and will continue to buy bonds at a $1 Trillion annual pace.  All that hub-bub earlier in the summer about pulling back, now coined as tapering, well you can just forget that.  The Stock market is at recovery highs and why rock the boat? (more…)

Exceptional Exceptions

August 30th, 2013 by Kurt L. Smith

In a world that includes dozens of US Treasury bond issues (but just one credit) or hundreds of Corporate bond issuers, Municipal bonds offer tens of thousands of different credits, terms and conditions.  It is these differences, rather than their similarities, between issuers and issuances that account for the robustness of the municipal bond market. (more…)

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