MUNICIPAL MARKET UPDATE

Municipal market quarterly update

A market reset creates new opportunities

  • September's historic selloff materially improved municipal valuations, creating a more attractive entry point for investors heading into Q4.
  • Higher yields offer compelling income opportunities without requiring investors to predict the next move in interest rates.
  • Property tax reform and evolving fiscal policies could increase credit differentiation, reinforcing the importance of security selection.

Municipal yields outpace taxable alternatives

Municipal bond tax-equivalent yields exceed Treasuries and IG corporates by ~200–300 basis points

Munis chart

Source: Bloomberg Indices, BlackRock, as of 9/30/26.
*40.8% effective tax rate to achieve tax-equivalent yield

Patrick Haskell
Head of Municipal Bonds
Patrick Haskell, Managing Director, Head of the Municipal Bond Group within the Portfolio Management Group (PMG) as well as Global Head of Financial Institutions Group Investments Business.
Sean Carney
CIO of Municipal Bond Funds
Sean Carney, Managing Director and Head of the Municipal Strategy team within BlackRock's Municipal Fixed Income business in BlackRock's Portfolio Management Group.
James Schwartz, CFA
Head of Municipal Credit Research
Jim Schwartz, CFA, Managing Director, is Head of Municipal Credit Research with Municipal Fixed Income business in BlackRock's Portfolio Management