Fixed Income Investors Could Benefit from Muni Bonds in Rising Rate Environment, Standish Says

NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Investments such as municipal bonds that have a yield advantage over Treasuries are likely to be among the fixed income segments that could provide outperformance in 2014 as U.S. Treasury yields start to move higher, according to the municipal bond outlook for 2014 from Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, the Boston-based fixed income specialist for BNY Mellon.

"Excess yield cushions the impact of gradually rising rates," said Christine Todd, president of Standish and an author of the report.  "Municipal bonds generally have produced positive total returns, even during periods when the Federal Reserve is tightening monetary policy by raising short-term interest rates."

One risk to municipal bond returns in 2014 could be liquidity, which might be strained by actions of investors, issuers and regulators, the report said.  In 2013, negative returns precipitated mutual fund redemptions, which led to forced selling by fund managers, the report said. The lack of clarity over federal regulations also limited the willingness of many financial institutions to commit balance sheet resources to municipal bonds, reducing the depth of the market's support, Standish said. 

However, Todd noted, "Individuals and banks continued to buy municipal bonds during 2013. Individuals and banks historically have demonstrated an appetite for tax-free municipal bonds whenever the yields of these bonds have climbed substantially above the after-tax yield from Treasuries."

Over the long run, Standish expects to see an increase in municipal bond issuance to help meet the need for infrastructure investment.  That would reverse the low levels of issuance of the last three years, brought on by austerity programs at the state and local governments, the report said. Standish expects new issues to support infrastructure will be longer term as infrastructure programs tend to take several years to complete.

Todd noted that the tax benefits of municipal bonds will continue to appeal to individual investors.  She said, "As investors begin their 2013 taxes, they are likely to be cognizant of the tax burden on taxable interest income."

Notes to Editors:

Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, with approximately $162 billion of assets under management, provides investment management services across a broad spectrum of fixed income asset classes. These include corporate credit, emerging markets debt (dollar-denominated and local currency), core / core plus, tax–sensitive, short duration, stable value and opportunistic (U.S. and global) strategies.  Standish also offers full service capabilities in insurance client strategies and liability driven investing. The firm includes assets managed by Standish personnel acting as dual officers of The Dreyfus Corporation and The Bank of New York Mellon and Alcentra NY, LLC personnel acting as dual officers of Standish.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, with $1.6 trillion in assets under management. It encompasses BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies. More information can be found at www.bnymellon.com.

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries and more than 100 markets. As of December 31, 2013, BNY Mellon had $27.6 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.6 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com, or follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon.

All information source BNY Mellon as of December 31, 2013. This press release is qualified for issuance in the US only and is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities or investment services or an endorsement thereof in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or not authorized. This press release is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management to members of the financial press and media and the information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice.  Past performance is not a guide to future performance.  A BNY Mellon Company.

SOURCE BNY Mellon

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