FINRA Investor News
July 9, 2009 |
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Investor Alert: Municipal Bonds—Staying on the Safe Side of the Street in Rough Times
Municipal securities—often called "muni bonds"—are bonds issued by states, cities, counties and other governmental entities to raise money to build roads, schools and a host of other projects for the public good. FINRA and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) issued an alert to remind investors that while munis have historically been considered relatively conservative investments, they do, like all bond investments, carry risk.
Read the full alert.
The MSRB: What It Is and How It Works
The MSRB regulates securities firms and banks that market, trade and underwrite municipal bonds, notes, 529 college savings plans and other securities issued by state and local governments. It was created by Congress in 1975. The Board is composed of members from the municipal securities dealer community and the public. Its core function is to set standards that govern the offering of municipal securities. FINRA and other banking regulators enforce the standards embodied in the MSRB rules.
Learn more about the structure and rules of the MSRB. Visit its web site to keep up with regulatory developments in the muni market.
Muni Information: The MSRB Launches the Electronic Municipal Market Access System (EMMA)
On July 1, 2009, the MSRB launched EMMA, a comprehensive, centralized online source that offers free access to offering documents for municipal securities and real-time prices and yields at which bonds and notes are bought and sold (for most trades occurring on or after January 31, 2005). In addition, you will find educational materials about municipal bonds, notes and 529 college savings plans. All ongoing disclosures—information after a bond is issued—submitted by municipal issuers starting this month will also be available free of charge.
Visit EMMA to get information about municipal securities.
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Investor Information: Smart Bond Investing
You've heard it before: Asset allocation is the foundation of prudent investing. You've probably heard this before, too—your portfolio should contain a mixture of stocks and bonds. This is sound advice. But do you understand the critical characteristics of bonds?
Bonds and bond funds can be extremely helpful to anyone concerned about capital preservation and income generation. Bonds and bond funds also can help partially offset the risk that comes with equity investing. They can be used to accomplish a variety of investment objectives. Bonds and bond funds hold opportunity—but they also carry risk.
We wrote this guide to help those who already invest in bonds and mutual funds that primarily invest in bonds—and those who are considering investing—better understand this important component of a balanced portfolio.
Learn more about Smart Bond Investing.
Bond Trading Information at the Market Data Center
The Bond Section of the Market Data Center includes general bond market information such as news, benchmark yields, and corporate bond market activity and performance information, descriptive data on U.S. Treasury, Agency, Corporate and Municipal Bonds, Credit Rating Information from major rating agencies, and price information with real-time transaction prices for Corporate Bonds (TRACE), Municipal Bonds (MSRB) and end of day prices for U.S. Treasury Bonds.
Explore the Bond Market Data Center now. |
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Past Issues of Investor News Available
In response to numerous requests, previous issues of Investor News are now available on our Web site. |
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