Blue Rose Advisors Blog
Engaging a Municipal in Pricing Tax-Exempt Bonds
What Are Tax-Exempt Bonds? Let’s Get Started! To start, let’s begin with the basics of what exactly are tax-exempt bonds (here, used interchangeably with “municipal securities” or “muni bonds”).
The Shield – Higher Education Rating Agency Medians
Higher Education Rating Agency Medians – Some Stabilization in FY 2023, but Enrollment and Operational Challenges Remain
How Municipal Advisors Support Small Private Higher Education Institutions in Financial Distress
In the highly competitive environment of higher education, small private institutions often wrestle with financial roadblocks that require specialized expertise and knowledge to navigate effectively. Municipal advisors often help small privates overcome these obstacles and accomplish their goals in times of financial distress
Basis Points: Reinvest Market Update
Markets reacted strongly in the past week following the July non-farm payroll report coming out lower than expected, along with an increase in the unemployment rate
Benefits of Engaging a Municipal Advisor When Reinvesting Bond Proceeds
The market environment over the past year has been volatile, but there are two characteristics that have remained relatively consistent: the inversion of the yield curve and lower-than-average tax-exempt to taxable ratios
The Shield – July Market Update
In our previous market update published in mid-May, we focused on interest rate volatility and signaling from the Fed on its rate outlook for the remainder of the year. While rate volatility has somewhat calmed, the interest rate environment is still elevated relative to the last several years
The Shield – Transitioning From LIBOR: A Year With SOFR
A little over a year ago, the transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) occurred. This transition had been in the works for several years and officially concluded in June of 2023. Below, we summarize some important milestones that have transpired since the transition
Blue Rose Capital Advisors is Presenting at the NACUBO Annual Meeting
Blue Rose Capital Advisors’ James McNulty, Managing Director, is presenting at the NACUBO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, July 20th – 23rd, 2024. Mr. McNulty will present on the Make Workforce Development Work: Building an Environment Focused on Student Outcomes panel from 4:00 – 5:15 pm on Sunday, July 21st
Basis Points: June Market Update
Based on the Federal Reserve sentiments and economic data from mid-June, the market is still expecting to see at least one Fed Fund rate cut before the end of the year
The Shield – May Market Update
Markets have remained volatile through the first four months of 2024, continuing a theme that we observed at the end of last year. Rates have moved significantly higher and equity indexes sit near all-time highs. However, there is significant uncertainty around how the rest of the year will unfold
Basis Points: Positive Arbitrage Persists in the Market, Increasing in Certain Circumstances
CPI data came out higher than anticipated this month, a signal to investors and market participants that the Fed may not be ready to cut rates just yet. The probability of a rate cut in June is currently ~11.3%, while it had been ~50% earlier this month
The Shield – Market and Company Update
Blue Rose Capital Advisors Erik Kelly, President, and Brandon Lippold, Vice President, shared industry insights and financial strategies to address unique market activity during their presentation at the Wisconsin Health & Education Facilities Authority’s (WHEFA) Lunch & Learn Market Update Webinar on March 26th, 2024
Blue Rose’s Lily Greenway passes MSRB Series 50 Exam
Blue Rose Capital Advisors announces that Lily Greenway, Analyst, has passed the MSRB Series 50 Examination to become a qualified municipal advisor representative
Blue Rose Capital Advisors Will Present at the MHEFA Annual Conference
Blue Rose Capital Advisors’ Erik Kelly, President, and Max Wilkinson, Vice President, are presenting on the Municipal Advisor Panel at the MHEFA 36th Annual Conference in St. Paul, MN, on April 17, 2024.
Blue Rose Capital Advisors LLC is Excited to Announce Its Partnership with Excelsior Capital Advisory Services LLC
Blue Rose Capital Advisors LLC is excited to announce its partnership with Excelsior Capital Advisory Services LLC. Blue Rose, an independent municipal advisor to higher education and non-profit organizations, will serve as a co-advisor with Excelsior in providing various capital planning and debt-execution advisory services to Excelsior’s clients
Blue Rose Capital Advisors is Presenting at the WHEFA Lunch & Learn Webinar
Blue Rose Capital Advisors Erik Kelly, President, and Brandon Lippold, Vice President, will present at the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority (WHEFA) Lunch & Learn Webinar on March 26, 2024
FAFSA Delays and SIFMA Index Volatility Among Key Market Considerations to Open 2024
By now, colleges and universities are quite familiar with the unique challenges that changes to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) pose to financial aid offices for 2024-25. Typically available to prospective students beginning in October, the Department of Education delayed the new FAFSA rollout until late December for this admission cycle
Basis Points: Market Update for March 7, 2024
Based on the Federal Reserve’s sentiments and economic data, the market is still expecting to see fed fund rate cuts this year – with fed fund futures pricing in 3-4 cuts before 2025
Lily Greenway Joins Blue Rose Capital Advisors as an Analyst
Ms. Greenway holds a Bachelor of Economics, Public Policy & Sustainability from the University of New Hampshire and she is currently working towards a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Public and Nonprofit Finance from New York University. Prior to Blue Rose, Ms. Greenway worked for HEPCO Capital Management, LLC, where she analyzed quarterly reports, conducted capital market research, and lead investor relationships for various sectors
Blue Rose’s Scott Talcott Earns CTP Certification
Mr. Talcott joined Blue Rose in 2016 and provides financial advisory services to the firm’s clients with respect to the planning and execution of all types of debt, derivative, reinvestment, and P3 transactions. He specializes in analyzing and assessing financial strategies from both a quantitative and qualitative standpoint to assist clients in selecting the most efficient use of capital that best aligns with their strategic goals and objectives
Basis Points: The Slope of the Yield Curve and How it Affects Refunding Escrows
While the term “normal yield curve” refers to a positively sloping yield curve, the marketplace has become accustomed to an inverted yield curve for quite some time
Katie Auren Joins Blue Rose Capital Advisors as Controller
Ms. Auren has more than 15 years’ experience working in various aspects of accounting, most recently serving as Senior Accountant at Blu Dot Manufacturing and Design. Her previous roles also include Controller for Penn Strategic Imports and Accounting Manager at Global Tax Network
The Shield – Looking Back, Looking Ahead
In 2023, we had the opportunity to positively impact numerous higher education institutions, non-profits, and governmental entities advising on matters related to long-term capital planning, capital markets access, interest rate hedging programs, alternative financing solutions, the investment of bond proceeds, budget process improvements, and many other unique projects
Blue Rose’s Benjamin Pietrek Promoted to Associate
Mr. Pietrek joined Blue Rose in 2022 as an Analyst, providing analytical, research, and transactional support to the lead advisory team serving higher education, non-profit, and government clients with debt advisory, derivatives advisory, and reinvestment advisory services
Laura Klingelhutz Joins Blue Rose as Marketing Coordinator
Ms. Klingelhutz joined Blue Rose and sister-company HedgeStar in 2022 as Marketing Generalist Intern and became the Marketing Generalist part-time in 2023, aiding with digital marketing, event planning, and market research efforts.
The Shield: End of Summer Market Update
Julia Cain Joins Blue Rose Capital Advisors as an Analyst
Richa Sharma Joins Blue Rose Capital Advisors as an Analyst
Understanding Private Activity Bonds in the World of Municipal Bonds
In the Midst of Ongoing Market Volatility, Find Certainty with Fixed Rate Reinvestment
The Shield – Leveraging Debt for Campus Improvement
Interest Rate Swaps: An Effective Risk Management Tool
Looming Uncertainty for the Higher Education Sector at the Dawn of the Second Trump Administration
Series 50 and Series 54: The Path to Becoming a Municipal Advisor
