The Growing Appetite for ESG Municipal Bonds
We are seeing increased focus and attention on ESG across the capital markets. JR Rieger of the Rieger Report and Jeff Johnson of Appleton Partners discuss demand, adoption, and how to evaluate a tax-exempt issuer’s ESG characteristics.
Review and
Outlook
September 2021
“President Biden signed the $1.9T American Rescue Plan Act in March to aid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. State governments were among the largest beneficiaries, receiving $195B…most states have been slow to deploy this federal aid and a dozen have yet to spend any of the funds…”
Learn MoreAugust 2021
“Nearly two-thirds of the West is dealing with extreme or exceptional drought and the US Department of the Interior is highly likely to issue the first ever official water shortage declaration…water and power shortages have had the most acute effects on utility systems.”
Learn MoreJuly 2021
“Despite higher-than-expected transient inflation, the market appears to have faith the Fed is prepared to act to keep inflation in check…”
Learn MoreJune 2021
“The Fed – and we at Appleton – still believe the uptick in inflation will be transitory, but it will not fully pass until global supply chain pressures ease…”
Learn MoreEconomic and
Market Commentary
03.16.2021
Uncle Sam Bolsters Municipal Budgets
“Passage of the American Rescue Plan was challenging, yet the outcome was clear in one respect – municipal budget conditions improved with the Bill’s signing…”
Learn More03.03.2021
Municipal Strategy:
Actively Managing Times of Change
“Recent rate spikes have come off historic lows, and we believe the pace of rate pressure has unnerved markets far more than still low yield levels. Appleton views market cycle adjustments as environments in which value can be found…and it is our belief that rising rates and other sources of volatility often allow active municipal separate account managers with research expertise to outpace passive approaches…”
Learn More11.23.2020
Municipal Credit Observations – November 2020
“Our belief that larger issuers with diversified revenue streams, substantial reserves, and management acumen would weather the storm has so far proven to be the case. That said, credit vigilance remains imperative…” Learn More08.25.2020
Corporate Credit Observations – August 2020
“We believe that despite today’s absolute level of rates, the corporate bond market still offers compelling relative value. Despite record-breaking summer issuance, spreads continue to grind tighter as investor demand remains high…” Learn MoreQuarterly
Perspectives
Q2 2021
Practical Reflections on Inflation
“For the sake of argument, let’s accept that inflation could be a risk. If so, how might this impact asset allocation strategy?”
Learn MoreQ1 2021
Thoughts on Speculation, Market Integrity and Investor Trust
“Speculation is hardly new as the dot com frenzy of the late 1990s demonstrated, although certain stocks’ highly unusual trading patterns have raised questions about market stability and even integrity…”
Learn MoreQ4 2020
Looking Ahead to a Post-Pandemic World
“What can we learn from these trying times? … This year has shined a spotlight on risk, most notably a need to proactively prepare for it. As advisors, this speaks to several financial planning fundamentals…”
Learn MoreQ3 2020
What’s in Your Index?
“We feel your primary benchmark should be your financial plan and that’s what we manage towards…while we often speak about “the market”, what matters most is how your portfolio works for you…”
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