Build America Bonds

Andrew Ang, Vineer Bhansali and Yuhang Xing

No 16008, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Build America Bonds (BABs) are a new form of municipal financing introduced in 2009. Investors in BAB municipal bonds receive interest payments that are taxable, but issuers receive a subsidy from the U.S. Treasury. The BAB program has succeeded in lowering the cost of funding for state and local governments with BAB issuers obtaining finance 54 basis points lower, on average, compared to issuing regular municipal bonds. For institutional investors, BAB issue yields are 116 basis points higher than comparable Treasuries and 88 basis points higher than comparable highly rated corporate bonds. For individual investors, BABs have lower yields than regular municipal bonds. Thus, on average the Federal government subsidy disadvantages individual U.S. taxpayers, who are the main holders of municipal bonds, and benefits new entrants in the municipal bond market.

JEL-codes: G12 G28 H20 H24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-05
Note: AP PE
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published as “Build America Bonds,” with Vi neer Bhansali and Yuhang Xing, 2010, Journal of Fixed Income , 20, 1, 67-73.

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