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Municipal Bonds

Individual investors are at a pricing disadvantage

A man in a maze with a tree at its center

The U.S. municipal securities market is an institutionally dominated and negotiated market characterized by inefficient pricing. There is no central location, like a stock exchange, where orders can be placed for individual investors to trade municipal bonds. This can make it difficult for these investors to obtain the best prices. In general, the larger the trading block, the lower the trading costs.

Trading disruptions due to the pandemic caused municipal bond spreads (the difference between what buyers pay and sellers receive) to widen dramatically. For example, investors trading par amounts of $10,000 or less saw the average effective spread jump from 0.67% in February 2020 to 1.04% in March. Spreads began narrowing in May 2020, and have dropped to levels that are in some cases below pre-pandemic levels. To eliminate pandemic-related distortions, the table shows average spreads during the first four months of 2021. Despite these wild fluctuations, a key trend remains: trades with larger par amounts saw narrower spreads. 

Individual investors are at a pricing disadvantage 

Active management can add value

Nuveen believes five key differentiators are important to creating portfolio growth.

Leading the way in municipal bonds 
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1As of 31 Dec 2022. Nuveen assets under management (AUM) is inclusive of underlying investment specialists.

The views and opinions expressed are for informational and educational purposes only as of the date of production/writing and may change without notice at any time based on numerous factors, such as market or other conditions, legal and regulatory developments, additional risks and uncertainties and may not come to pass. This material may contain “forward-looking” information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections, forecasts, estimates of market returns, and proposed or expected portfolio composition. Any changes to assumptions that may have been made in preparing this material could have a material impact on the information presented herein by way of example. Performance data shown represents past performance and does not predict or guarantee future results. Investing involves risk; principal loss is possible.

All information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is no representation or warranty as to the current accuracy, reliability or completeness of, nor liability for, decisions based on such information and it should not be relied on as such. For term definitions and index descriptions, please access the glossary on nuveen.com. Please note, it is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Important information on risk

Investing involves risk; principal loss is possible. Investing in municipal bonds involves risks such as interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. The value of the portfolio will fluctuate based on the value of the underlying securities. There are special risks associated with investments in high yield bonds, hedging activities and the potential use of leverage. Portfolios that include lower rated municipal bonds, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are considered to be speculative, the credit and investment risk is heightened for the portfolio. Bond insurance guarantees only the payment of principal and interest on the bond when due, and not the value of the bonds themselves, which will fluctuate with the bond market and the financial success of the issuer and the insurer. No representation is made as to an insurer’s ability to meet their commitments. This information should not replace an investor’s consultation with a financial professional regarding their tax situation. Nuveen is not a tax advisor. Investors should contact a tax advisor regarding the appropriateness of tax-exempt investments in their portfolio. If sold prior to maturity, municipal securities are subject to gain/losses based on the level of interest rates, market conditions and the credit quality of the issuer. Income may be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and/or state and local taxes, based on the state of residence. Income from municipal bonds held by a portfolio could be declared taxable because of unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of a bond issuer. It is important to review your investment objectives, risk tolerance and liquidity needs before choosing an investment style or manager. Institutional trade execution applies primarily to municipal bond trading as part of ongoing account management and generally does not include sales of legacy securities contributed to new or existing accounts or in connection with termination and liquidation instructions. Nuveen seeks to expeditiously and efficiently effect sales of legacy securities contributed to new or existing accounts or in connection with termination and liquidation instructions, generally by directing the execution of sale to the relevant brokerdealer/custodian designated by the client’s managed account program, subject to program limitations. Primarily due to the time constraints and lot sizes applicable to these transactions, and because the full range of trading techniques is generally not available (including aggregation), the prices received in these transactions may be less favorable than the prices that could be attained for sales of securities selected as part of ongoing management. Clients always reserve the right to fund accounts with cash as opposed to legacy securities and to keep any securities in their accounts upon termination of services.

Nuveen provides investment advisory solutions through its investment specialists.

This information does not constitute investment research as defined under MiFID.

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