James Ramage

Municipal bond mutual funds saw inflows into weekly-reporting funds, at $22 million, for the first time in 10 weeks.

Flows to muni bond mutual funds, though still negative, recovered much of their lost ground over the previous two weeks.

Long-term municipal bond volume rose modestly for the month of December, closing the door gently on a year that saw record low interest rates spur an upsurge in refundings.

After 28 straight weeks of inflows to muni bond funds, the market saw outflow for the week ended Oct. 31. Funds that report their flows weekly recorded outflows of $123 million for the week ended Oct. 31, Lipper FMI numbers show.

Individual investors like what they see in long-term muni bond mutual funds and so have been pouring more money into them in 2012 than they have in years.

Throughout 2012, high-yield muni funds have seen some of the best total returns among bond funds, with consistent inflows. Still, some industry watchers warn of large risks for the sector.

The hunger for paper and search for yield in the municipal market reached their limits this week.

Individual investors have been flocking to municipal bond funds, searching for safety and relatively high yields.

Municipal bond mutual funds saw a huge week of inflows, as investors continue to see strength in the market.

Record-low long-term municipal bond yields may generate the most press these days, but investors still see the most value in the intermediate part of the yield curve.

Volume for the municipal market continues to tick down while investor demand for tax-exempt paper remains robust.

Investors piled into muni bond mutual funds this past week.

Municipal portfolio managers say retail investors are turning to tax-exempt bond funds because they see them as a relatively safe harbor in stormy seas.

Analysts more than ever are monitoring the ebb and flow of cash into municipal bond mutual funds.

When the Build America Bond program ended there were two schools of thought. One argued that BABs would become an orphan class, with prices in the secondary market suffering from illiquidity. Another group thought there would be some scarcity value to the product and they would appreciate in value.

For portfolio managers of municipal bond funds, the past several months haven’t been for the faint of heart. Still, muni fund managers report mixed experiences in riding out the prolonged flood of outflows.