Key interest rate for short term municipal bonds have spiked from effectively zero to 70bps over the last few months.
| less than a minute read
Muni borrowing costs jump as money market reforms loom
The jump in Sifma’s rate will hit the $175bn market for variable rate demand notes (VRDNs), or shorter-dated debt carrying a floating interest rate that resets weekly. New York, California and Texas are some of the largest state issuers, according to Sifma data. The upward move in borrowing costs stems from US regulators’ reform of money market funds, which invest in short-term debt sold by companies, banks as well as public borrowers such as states. The reforms allow fees to be imposed on investors pulling money out of funds during periods of financial stress and, in some instances, stop investors withdrawing money altogether.
