Muni Bonds: Default Fears May Be Overblown

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January 21, 2011
Investing Intelligence Insights and analysis from BW

NEWS  THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY MARKETS & FINANCE Muni Bonds: Default Fears May Be Overblown As investors flee, some analysts say predictions of widespread defaults, spurred by big state deficits and lost tax revenues, are lacking in evidence   MORE TOP STORIES TAXES What's Behind H&R Block's Free Tax Service As tax season begins, the hard-pressed filing service has a new strategy: Give it away for free MARKETS & FINANCE A Winning Stock Strategy: Sell on the Rumor Companies named as acquisition targets typically deliver disappointing returns for investors OIL STOCKS After the BP Spill, Small Drillers Are Merger Bait With operating costs rising in the aftermath of the Gulf disaster, many outfits may find it hard to stay independent INVESTMENT BANKING Frank Quattrone: A Tech Dealmaker's Comeback His Qatalyst Group is climbing the rankings in Silicon Valley mergers COLUMNS H-1B Visas: A Modest Proposal for Immigration Reform The U.S. can't afford to continue its policy of screening out the best and most talented immigrants POLITICS & POLICY Why the Private Sector Still Isn't Hiring CEOs don't want to increase employment until they know the recovery is real—and it won't be until they hire WALL STREET It's Showtime for Morgan Stanley The company failed to live up to expectations last year; CEO James Gorman doesn't want the losing streak to continue GLOBAL ECONOMICS If Demography Is Destiny, Then India Has the Edge Research from HSBC and Standard Chartered shows the U.S. and other industrialized nations slipping while some surprising leaders emerge   INVESTING TOOLS MUTUAL FUND SCOREBOARD How's Your Fund Doing? Our Interactive Scoreboard has complete results for some 2,500 equity funds, hundreds with BW's exclusive risk-adjusted ratings This newsletter is a FREE service provided by BusinessWeek.com. To sign up for other newsletters, cancel delivery, change delivery options or change your e-mail address, please go to our Newsletter Preferences page. If you need other assistance, please contact Customer Service or contact: Wanda Cooper BusinessWeek Customer Rights Communications Data Services 1995 G Avenue Red Oak, IA 51566 Phone: 1-800-635-1200 To learn more about how BusinessWeek.com applies this policy, you can contact our Marketing Department. Copyright 2009-2010 by BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of Use | Privacy Notice

Inside: This Week in Investing Welcome to Investing Intelligence, your weekly guide to the broad range of news, analysis, and strategies you can find on the BW Online Investing Channel. Our aim is to provide the info -- and tools -- you need to help make smarter investing decisions. E-MAIL A FRIEND  |  NEWSLETTERS  |  GET RSS ADVERTISEMENT Municipal Bonds. A Good Hedge In Volatile Markets The right Munis and securities insurers can increase your yield without sacrificing quality and protect against lower interest rates. Stoever Glass. Advertisement Featured Special Report Retirement: The Big Rethink Can You Afford to Retire? After watching their savings evaporate and their net worth plunge, many are giving up on retirement planning. But there are ways out of this mess without winning the lottery Podcast: Behind the Story Slide Show: Rethinking Retirement Washington: Reworking Retirement Savings Plans Caught Between the Elder Care and Education Money Pits Coping with the Caregiving Dilemma Portfolio Planning: A Case Study Slide Show: The Ravages and Remedies Retirement: Why Panama Is the New Florida Reinventing the Target-Date Retirement Fund IBM Reinvents the 401(k) How to Play It: Money Managers Video: The Sandwich Generation is Smooshed Meet the Hypotheticals Useful Retirement Calculators America's Best Affordable Places to Retire Successful Seniors Who Won't Retire   More Special Reports…   IN YOUR FACE: AIRLINE CONSOLIDATION? Reader RNB Writes: "Apparently, for James Oberstar, airlines aren't businesses -- they are jobs programs. If a merged Delta-NWA were to be headquartered in Minneapolis, he'd be all for it. Otherwise, forget it." Tell Us: Should Airlines Become More United? >   BLOG ECONOMICS UNBOUND Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway announced that it was buying Burlington Northern Santa Fe in a deal valued at $44 billion. In the announcement, Buffett called the purchase an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." I'm not saying that Buffett is wrong. But his "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States" paints a remarkably gloomy picture of where we are heading. -- Michael Mandel Visit Our Other Blogs Auto Beat Bangalore Tigers Blogspotting Brand New Day Byte of the Apple Economics Unbound European Insight Fine On Media Games, Inc. GreenBiz Hot Property Investing Insights Management IQ New Technology in Asia NEXT: Innovation Tools & Trends NussbaumOnDesign Tech Beat Working Parents POST YOUR OWN COMMENTS  Investing: Europe Insights on Europe Investing news and analysis provided by BusinessWeek, Standard & Poor's, and other sources   MUTUAL FUNDS Find The Best Funds We did the work, and you get the results: Our Mutual Fund Scoreboard is all you need   BW VIDEO Out In The Cold Mar. 29 - Fed Chairman Bernanke said that inflation remains a primary concern, erasing hopes of a near-term rate cut, says S&P senior economist Beth Bovino • More Video Views Advertisement