Is SMB a buy? - Seeking Alpha

Quote & Headlines Market Currents StockTalk

Today 5d 1m 3m 1y 5y 10y

52wk high:

52wk low:

EPS:

PE:

Div Rate:

Yield:

Market Cap:

Volume:

23 people get SMB articles and Market Currents by email alert.

Get email alerts on SMB »

HEADLINES:

From Stockton To Puerto Rico: What's Driving The Muni Market?
Matt Tucker • Wed, Apr 10 • 3 Comments
What Detroit And The Stockton Bankruptcy Mean For Bonds
Mike the PhD • Wed, Apr 3 • 11 Comments
Muni-Bond Outlook: Expecting High Relative Volatility Due To Low Yields, Potential Tax Changes
Morningstar • Wed, Feb 27 • 2 Comments
At What Tax Rate Are Munis Attractive?
Dan Morillo • Mon, Feb 18 • 2 Comments
As the Fiscal Cliff Looms, Investors Favor Munis
Matt Tucker • Thu, Nov 1, 2012 • 8 Comments
Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News
Wall Street Breakfast • Mon, Sep 24, 2012 • 76 Comments
Municipal Bonds For The Summer Season
Alpha Guru • Wed, Sep 19, 2012 • 2 Comments
5 Quality-Rated Tax-Free Municipal Bond ETFs
David Zanoni • Wed, Jul 25, 2012 • 2 Comments
Municipal Bonds: A Contrarian Play On The Fiscal Cliff
Skyler Greene • Wed, Jun 20, 2012 • 8 Comments
Top 10 Municipal Bond ETFs
David Fry • Sat, Apr 28, 2012 • 4 Comments
Forbes Low Cost All Star Lineup
MyPlanIQ • Wed, Apr 25, 2012 • 2 Comments
Muni-Bond Tax Exemption Under Active Attack -- May Be Limited In 2013
Richard Shaw • Thu, Apr 19, 2012 • 43 Comments
Touring The Muni Bond ETF Universe
Michael Johnston • Thu, Apr 12, 2012 • 1 Comment
Muni Bonds, Corresponding ETFs Off To Best Start To Year Since 1990
Tom Lydon • Fri, Feb 10, 2012 • 9 Comments
Comprehensive 2011 ETF Tax Efficiency Report Card
Michael Johnston • Tue, Jan 10, 2012
Time to Load Up on Muni Bond ETFs?
Matt Tucker • Wed, Aug 3, 2011 • 1 Comment
A Different Kind of Muni Bond ETF: Van Eck Debuts XMPT
Michael Johnston • Wed, Jul 13, 2011
U.S. State and Local Governments Facing Unprecedented Fiscal Strains; Outlook Remains Negative
Research Recap • Thu, Mar 17, 2011
The Looming Muni-Bond Meltdown: Profit From the Collapse - And From the Rebound
Shah Gilani • Thu, Mar 3, 2011 • 51 Comments
Muni Bonds: Modest Recovery Underway
Kurt Brouwer • Thu, Feb 17, 2011 • 8 Comments

To learn more about Seeking Alpha Pro, click here.

There are no Focus articles on SMB.

From Stockton To Puerto Rico: What's Driving The Muni Market?
Matt Tucker • Wed, Apr 10 • 3 Comments
What Detroit And The Stockton Bankruptcy Mean For Bonds
Mike the PhD • Wed, Apr 3 • 11 Comments
Muni-Bond Outlook: Expecting High Relative Volatility Due To Low Yields, Potential Tax Changes
Morningstar • Wed, Feb 27 • 2 Comments
At What Tax Rate Are Munis Attractive?
Dan Morillo • Mon, Feb 18 • 2 Comments
As the Fiscal Cliff Looms, Investors Favor Munis
Matt Tucker • Thu, Nov 1, 2012 • 8 Comments
Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News
Wall Street Breakfast • Mon, Sep 24, 2012 • 76 Comments
Municipal Bonds For The Summer Season
Alpha Guru • Wed, Sep 19, 2012 • 2 Comments
5 Quality-Rated Tax-Free Municipal Bond ETFs
David Zanoni • Wed, Jul 25, 2012 • 2 Comments
Municipal Bonds: A Contrarian Play On The Fiscal Cliff
Skyler Greene • Wed, Jun 20, 2012 • 8 Comments
Top 10 Municipal Bond ETFs
David Fry • Sat, Apr 28, 2012 • 4 Comments
Forbes Low Cost All Star Lineup
MyPlanIQ • Wed, Apr 25, 2012 • 2 Comments
Muni-Bond Tax Exemption Under Active Attack -- May Be Limited In 2013
Richard Shaw • Thu, Apr 19, 2012 • 43 Comments
Touring The Muni Bond ETF Universe
Michael Johnston • Thu, Apr 12, 2012 • 1 Comment
Muni Bonds, Corresponding ETFs Off To Best Start To Year Since 1990
Tom Lydon • Fri, Feb 10, 2012 • 9 Comments
Comprehensive 2011 ETF Tax Efficiency Report Card
Michael Johnston • Tue, Jan 10, 2012
Time to Load Up on Muni Bond ETFs?
Matt Tucker • Wed, Aug 3, 2011 • 1 Comment
A Different Kind of Muni Bond ETF: Van Eck Debuts XMPT
Michael Johnston • Wed, Jul 13, 2011
U.S. State and Local Governments Facing Unprecedented Fiscal Strains; Outlook Remains Negative
Research Recap • Thu, Mar 17, 2011
The Looming Muni-Bond Meltdown: Profit From the Collapse - And From the Rebound
Shah Gilani • Thu, Mar 3, 2011 • 51 Comments
Muni Bonds: Modest Recovery Underway
Kurt Brouwer • Thu, Feb 17, 2011 • 8 Comments

There are no Transcripts on SMB.

Build America Bond program resurrected

at MarketWatch.com (Feb 14, 2011)

SMB vs. ETF Alternatives

SMB Description

The Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF (SMB) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Barclays Capital AMT-Free Short Continuous Municipal Index . The Index provides broad exposure to investment-grade municipal bonds with a nominal maturity of 1-6 years.
See more details on sponsor's website

Country: United States

Key Info

In Your Portfolio: Broad U.S. Bond ETFs, A Guide to Municipal Bond ETFs and Closed-End Funds
Asset Class Performance: Bonds

All
| Earnings
| Dividends
| M&A
| On the move

Monday, May 20, 12:30 PM The hot market for corporate junk (HYG, JNK) has pushed the yield on high-yield corporates (4.88%) well below that of high-yield municipals (5.22% nominally, over 8% on a tax-equivalent basis). The nominal spread of 34 bps is down from 56 bps a week ago as investors take notice of the anomaly. High-yield muni ETFs: HYD, HYMB, XMPT. 3 Comments
Friday, May 17, 3:55 PM The bear market in gold (GLD, IAU) has left three closed-end funds trading at abnormally large discounts to NAV, says Morningstar's Cara Esser: GTU, CEF, and PHYS. Likewise, a small selloff in municipal (MUB) paper has left these muni CEFs at attractive values: NXR, MYD, NXP. 2 Comments [Quick Ideas]
Tuesday, May 7, 9:39 PM While fears of widespread defaults in the municipal bond (MUB) market (perpetuated in December of 2010 by Meredith Whitney) have so far proven overblown, Moody's says a disturbing trend seems to be developing. Although only five defaults were recorded in 2012, that's more than four times the average yearly rate logged from 1970 to 2007. Perhaps the most notable thing about last year's five defaults: three of them were general government defaults as opposed to defaults on bonds tied to specific projects. The historical average for general government muni defaults: 1 every 4.3 years. 4 Comments
Tuesday, April 23, 9:29 AM Forecasts of "Armageddon" for the the municipal bond market (MUB) are terribly misguided, writes Randall Forsyth. Higher rates? Variable rate financing is only a small fraction of the market, and any increase would come from rock-bottom levels. Recent bankruptcies? They get a lot of headlines, but last year accounted for just 1% of all obligations. This year, just 0.6%. Comment! [U.S. Economy]
Tuesday, April 23, 5:53 AM San Bernardino's council has passed a budget that will allow the bankrupt Californian city to restart $1.2M in biweekly employer contributions to Calpers while continuing to renege on its commitments to its other creditors, including bondholders. Along with Stockton, San Bernardino represents a test case over who should get paid first when a municipality goes bankrupt - the public employees or the bondholders. (previous) 4 Comments [Global & FX, Top Stories, U.S. Economy]
Thursday, April 18, 1:34 PM A butterfly flaps its wings in California? Tiny Canyon Lake (pop. 11K) notifies CalPERs it wants out of the pension plan, and says it's ready to pay a termination fee to do so. Behind the decision is CalPERs' recent approval of a 50% rise in employer contributions over the coming years. "How many cities might opt out," says a bankruptcy attorney. "The issue here for CalPERs is if Canyon Lake becomes a trend." Comment! [U.S. Economy]
Friday, April 12, 2:46 AM San Bernardino in California has proposed restarting bimonthly $1.2M employer contributions to Calpers almost a year after the city suspended the payments, although it will continue to renege on its commitments to other creditors, including bondholders. The decision highlights the battle over who should take most of the pain when a city goes bankrupt - the bondholders or the public servants. Comment! [U.S. Economy, Global & FX, Top Stories]
Tuesday, April 2, 10:00 AM Skittish municipal bond investors have driven the MUB below its NAV for more than two weeks - the longest stretch since the panicky period of August 2011. BAML sees opportunity noting munis have lost in March for 5 straight years as many investors sell holdings or avoid buying leading ahead of April 15 to help make tax payments. Comment! [Financials]
Monday, April 1, 3:41 PM In a blow to municipal bondholders, a judge rules Stockton, CA eligible for bankruptcy protection. The ruling let's stay the city's decision to keep pensions intact while imposing losses on those holding the town's paper. Jefferson County, AL and San Bernardino, CA - along with other municipalities - are watching closely. Bond insurer Assured Guaranty (AGO) slides 3.3%. 16 Comments [U.S. Economy]
Thursday, March 28, 1:21 PM A "perfect storm" of seasonal weakness combined with investors shifting money into stocks has opened up opportunity in the municipal closed-end sector, says Jeff Margolin. Muni CEFs fell 4.5% earlier this month even as NAVs declined just 0.5%, leaving the average CEF trading at a 1.1% discount to NAV vs. what has been a 3.2% premium. Comment! [Financials]
Wednesday, March 27, 4:56 AM A federal judge is due to hear closing arguments today about whether Stockton in California should be allowed to file for bankruptcy protection. The main is issue is whether the city can continue paying into the Calpers pension fund while forcing losses on bondholders. The case is being widely watched, with Alabama's Jefferson County and California's San Bernardino also considering breaking with the long-standing practice of meeting obligations to bondholders. 9 Comments [Global & FX, U.S. Economy]
Tuesday, March 12, 2:43 PM The MUB falls for a 7th straight session - now testing its 200-day moving average for the first time in 2 years. Municipals got beat up in late 2012 when it was rumored their tax-exempt status was to be served up as part of a budget deal. The scare subsided, but Morgan Stanley still sees a 30% chance of that happening. MUB -3.4% since the election. 6 Comments
Tuesday, March 12, 5:02 AM Illinois has become only the second state to be accused of securities fraud, with the SEC saying that it misled bond investors from 2005-2009 about the ever-worsening condition of its public workers' retirement plans by claiming that it was properly funding the scheme when it wasn't. However, while Illinois has agreed to a cease-and-desist order, it has escaped any fines and it hasn't had to admit any wrongdoing. (PR) 9 Comments [Global & FX, U.S. Economy]
Thursday, March 7, 3:14 AM The Detroit City Council has voted to appeal Rick Snyder's decision to put the city in a State of Emergency and appoint an outside manager to clean up its finances. The Michigan Governor is now scheduled to hold a hearing on Tuesday next week, and will decide whether or not to appoint the manager soon afterwards. Tellingly, Mayor Dave Bing doesn't back the appeal. 1 Comment [U.S. Economy]
Sunday, March 3, 2:42 AM Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared Detroit to be in a state of emergency on Friday and said he would appoint an outside manager to help turn around its dire finances, which include $14B in long-term liabilities. City officials have ten days to persuade Snyder to change his mind. Should he uphold his decision, it would be the latest step in attempts to prevent Detroit filing what would be the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. 26 Comments [U.S. Economy, Top Stories]
Wednesday, February 20, 2:54 AM Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has to decide whether to declare a financial takeover of Detroit by the state and appoint an emergency manager after a review team concluded that the city suffers "operational dysfunction" and faces a fiscal emergency due to its "chronic deficits and its long-term liabilities." Ultimately, Detroit might have to one day carry out what would be the biggest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. 3 Comments [U.S. Economy, Top Stories]

David White
The tax break bill will turn out to be a big thing for enterprise and even SMB equipment sales. Should be a boost for Q1 and later.
1/28/11
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
Obama pumping small business stimulus bill. A good idea. We have needed this for the last 2 years. SMB's the heart of US business.
9/3/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
ADP jobs came out as -11K. But the Challenger layoffs were less. Hence roughly flat. SMB's are clearly hurting. Help from new bill??
9/1/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
Analysts keep saying RRE is stabilizing. Questionable. Also seem to be ignoring CRE. This may completely crash if no SMB growth soon.
8/9/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
CNBC saying no comparison now to 2008 re credit. Ignoring tightness of SMB credit. Very tight. Big co.'s have big $ caches now.
7/21/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
ObamaCare very hard on SMB's. May drive some out of business. Won't "create" jobs. Will cause job losses. CBO says more expensive.
7/14/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
SMB's have no money to spend. Big co.'s are hoarding money, not spending. Banks have lots of money at Fed, not lending. Contraction?
7/13/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
Reality: SMB's don't have a big ballot presence as an entity, even if they provide 50+% of jobs. Everything else gets priority. A mistake.
7/13/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
CNBC pundit saying we need to extend unemployment because of multiplier effect of that money. Helping SMB's would have a bigger multiplier!
7/13/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

David White
Bernanke is still fretting about SMB lending. Jobs still a problem. Ditto RE. Market will rally until it decides to emphasize the bad again.
7/13/10
Reply

• !Report Abuse
View all 0 replies
Add a reply...

140 characters

LATEST REPLIES

SMB Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF

SMB

Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF