Navigating Investing in Today's Markets with Nick Venditti
Senior portfolio manager Nick Venditti shares his insights on the 2026 municipal bond market so far, highlighting its promising start and potential to be a smart investment amid market volatility.
Transcript
Cameron Pickoski: We're here in Fort Lauderdale this week at our National Sales Summit, where the theme is “Charting the Course.” So, with that in mind, Nick, we wanted to talk to you a little bit about how you and your team are navigating investing in today's markets. And, specifically, at the end of last year, you were calling for 2026 to be an exciting year for munis. How has that played out for you so far, and what opportunities are you watching out for?
Nick Venditti: Thank you so much for having me. I think so far, so good on the muni front. Look, 2025 was a tough year for munis. They kind of underperformed their fixed income cousins in the taxable market, but we're starting to see that trend reversed. People want tax-exempt income, flows are coming back into the market, and that's set a really, really strong pace to start off this year. I do think there's going to be a lot of volatility in markets, and munis are typically the asset class you want to be in if you want to avoid some of that volatility. So, I'm really excited for what the rest of the year has to offer in the muni asset class.
Key takeaways
- Municipal bonds are starting to rebound in 2026 after underperforming in 2025, with inflows driven by demand for tax-exempt income.
- The muni market may be well positioned for investors looking to navigate potential market volatility in the year ahead.
- Nick Venditti remains optimistic about the opportunities and performance of municipal bonds for the remainder of the year.
Related insights
John Campbell discusses how Allspring’s Systematic Core Equity team’s multidimensional risk framework can help investors manage inevitable volatility and the evolving impact of AI on markets heading into 2026.