Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds

This course will provide students with an overview of the municipal bond market and how it facilitates the development of infrastructure needed for economic development and the provision of public services. There are close to $2.6 trillion dollars in outstanding bonds in this market. Of 87,500 state and local governments in the U.S., 55,000 have bonds outstanding. Each year 10,000 new issues of municipal bonds come to market valued on average at $350 billion a year. All of this helps states, cities, counties, and not for profit organizations such as universities and hospitals fund capital assets including roads, bridges, water and sewer plants, airports, and school buildings. Students will come to understand: the continuum of a bond sale from government to end investor; who the key players are in the process; how credit ratings and credit analysis is performed; the public policy drivers of capital investment; the regulatory policy framework relating to the bond industry; and what sort of career opportunities are available for Public Policy Graduate Students. The course will have a text book supplemented by articles and industry reports. Attendance will be critical. The course will have a mid-term and final oriented toward providing a work product that would actually be utilized in the municipal bond industry. Guest speakers will also be utilized from time to time.