The global hunt for yield is so vigorous that payments to protect against car losses, deaths and storms in Europe are helping to bankroll roads and utilities in the U.S.
The $3.8 trillion municipal-bond market, long the investment mainstay of U.S. residents, is seeing demand from European insurance companies drawn to higher yields and ratings than they can find closer to home. It's boosting the liquidity of a market where U.S. states and local governments raise money. And it's also providing a new source of business to asset managers.
"It's been very robust demand," said Ben Barber, head of municipals at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which manages about $52 billion of the securities. "We're seeing brand new entrants into the market that are coming to institutional investors like us."
The interest from corporations such as Germany's Munich Re underscores the changing landscape in the municipal market, which is so U.S. focused that radio commercials for New York commuters tout local bonds. By the end of September, foreign buyers had increased their holdings of the securities to about $104 billion, more than double what they held a decade earlier, federal data show.
Municipals once held little allure overseas because federal tax breaks depress the yields. But in the era of low and even negative yields on global bonds, foreigners have taken a closer look, particularly in the taxable sector, where rates are higher.
Higher Quality
European insurers in particular are drawn to the higher quality of municipals compared with corporate debt. Sixty-seven% of the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Index is rated AA or higher, while just 11% of the comparable U.S. investment-grade corporate bond index is, according to an analysis by Matt Caggiano, who helps oversee more than $9 billion of insurers' municipal holdings at Deutsche Bank AG.
And for the higher credit quality, foreign investors are getting more in return, even considering currency fluctuations, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence.
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