Megadeals, Lower Rates Set the Stage for Brisk Muni Borrowing in January

  • Jefferson County, Washington put big bond sales on calendar
  • Borrowing costs fall 130 basis points in November, December

Road construction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Long-term bond sales totaled $22.3 billion in December.

Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The municipal bond market is setting up for something it hasn’t seen in a few years: a busy January for borrowing.

January is typically the slowest month in terms of new muni bond sales, averaging $25 billion over the past decade, according to Bloomberg LEAG data. But a lighter-than-average December sales calendar, coupled with an interest rate decline of more than a percentage point in recent months, sets the stage for an uptick in issuance this time around.