Municipal Bond Trading, Information Relatedness, and Natural Disasters

Abstract

The authors study municipal bond market activity before, during, and after natural disasters (tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes/tropical storms). Using a sample of municipal bond trades from 2010 to 2013, they find that natural disasters influence municipal bond trading. Specifically, they show that spreads are lower on both tornado and wildfire event days and during the following five trading days than during the preceding five trading days. Although the study does not document a relationship between hurricane events and spreads, the authors show that spreads fall during the five days following the hurricane compared with the five trading days before the event. Generally, the study shows an increase in dollar volume in the five trading days following all three types of natural disasters. The authors also find linkages between the bonds affected by natural disasters and related bonds.