Section 1 – Background
- This report is for City Council information only and requires no action by City Council.
- The investment of City funds is guided by and this report is submitted in compliance with the City's Investment Ordinance. (Chapter 2-10, Investment of City Funds, Boulder Revised Code 1981).
- The investment objectives as specified in the Ordinance are:
- The primary objective is preservation and protection of capital. This objective reduces the risk to which the portfolio can be subjected. To comply with this objective investments are diversified by type and maturity horizons.
- The second objective is to maintain adequate liquidity to meet the daily cash needs of the City. The City's Ordinance requires that 5% of the portfolio matures within 30 days.
- Yield is the third objective. The City strives to maximize return while minimizing the risks of the market.
Section 2 – Market Conditions, the Federal Reserve and the Yield Curve
- Navigating market volatility: US tariff uncertainty is likely to drag on growth while lifting short-term inflation risks, prompting caution from the Fed. While near-term data is resilient, structural shifts in trade and policy uncertainty are likely to cause growth to stagnate.
- The Fed remained on hold: The Federal Open Market Committee remained on hold in the second quarter with the Fed funds target rate in a range of 4.25%-4.50%. At the June meeting, the Committee continued to forecast 50 basis points of rate decreases this year.
- Yield curve steepened: A softer economic outlook drove short-term yields lower, while persistent concerns over US debt sustainability pushed long-term yields higher. Two-year yields ended the quarter at 3.72%, 16 basis points lower. At the longer end of the curve, 30-year yields ended the quarter at 4.77%, 20 basis points higher.
- Credit spreads tightened: Aggregate credit spreads narrowed, with the spread of the Bloomberg US Corporate Index ending 11 basis points lower over the quarter.
- The S&P 500 Index rallied strongly in Q2: Equity markets experienced a volatile quarter, with the S&P 500 Index falling dramatically in early April before rallying to a new all-time high by quarter end. This resulted in a close to 11% return over the quarter as a whole, taking the return over the first half of the year into positive territory.
- Risks include:
- Fiscal and trade policy shifts by the new administration are increasing forecasting uncertainty.
- The Fed may keep policy tighter than necessary, exacerbating the risks to growth.
- Escalating tariffs raise global recession risks.
- Persistent geopolitical tensions, especially US-China rivalry, increase the potential for market volatility.
US Treasury Yields
| Treasury Security | June 30, 2025 | June 30, 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Month Bill | 4.29% | 5.36% | -1.07% |
| 6 Month Bill | 4.25% | 5.32% | -1.07% |
| 1 Year Note | 3.97% | 5.11% | -1.14% |
| 2 Year Note | 3.72% | 4.75% | -1.03% |
| 3 Year Note | 3.69% | 4.55% | -0.86% |
| 5 Year Note | 3.80% | 4.38% | -0.58% |
| 10 Year Note | 4.23% | 4.40% | -0.17% |
Section 3 – The City's Portfolio
- Portfolio strategies implemented this quarter and the investments held in the portfolio comply with the City's investment objectives and the Ordinance that specifies allowable investments.
- The objective of safety is achieved through a well-diversified portfolio invested primarily in US Treasury and Agency securities of various maturities. In March 2017 the City Council approved amendments to the Investment Policy proposed by finance staff expanding opportunities to further diversify the portfolio. Pursuit of further diversification through the revised policies is progressing strategically relative to market conditions. Market risk is managed by maintaining a moderate weighted average final maturity (WAM) in the City's portfolio. As of June 30, 2025, the WAM of the operating portfolio is 2.21 years while the Ordinance allows for a WAM of up to 5 years.
- The City maintains sufficient liquidity. A minimum of 5% of the City's total portfolio is held in liquidity accounts.
- As of June 30, the weighted average purchase yield for the operating portfolio holdings 4.07%. The yield benchmark is the six-month trailing average of the yield on the 2-year Treasury note, which is 4.01% as of June 30. The purchase yield on the operating portfolio as of June 30 exceeds the benchmark yield by 0.06%.
- For the second quarter 2025, the fair value periodic return on the operating portfolio is 1.28%. The 1-3 Treasury Index return for the period is 1.18%. The periodic return on the operating portfolio for the second quarter is 0.10% higher than the 1-3 Treasury Index return.
- The City's portfolio does not hold any investments in the following: fossil fuels inclusive of pipeline construction and extraction; firearms or weapons not used in national defense; tobacco companies; and firms related to mass incarceration/private prisons/detention centers.
- In the second quarter 2025, the City's investment advisor invested approximately $35 million in long-term securities for the operating portfolio. Purchases included US Treasury and Agency securities and corporate bonds. The weighted average purchase yield of these investments is 4.19% and the weighted average maturity at the time of purchase is 3.5 years.
- The portfolio duration maintains exposure to longer-term interest rates and the portfolio is well diversified to various market sectors which may enhance the portfolio's return over time.
Summary of Portfolio Characteristics
| Portfolio Characteristic | June 30, 2025 | March 31, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Average Final Maturity (years) | 2.21 | 2.12 |
| Effective Duration (years) | 1.96 | 1.93 |
| Average Purchase Yield | 4.07% | 4.01% |
| Average Market Yield | 3.91% | 4.10% |
| Average Credit Quality (S&P/Moody's) | AA/Aa2 | AA/Aa1 |
| Total Market Value ($) | 462,095,559 | 486,108,635 |
Asset Allocation and Effective Duration
| Asset | Historic Cost | Duration (years) | % Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and Equivalents | 10,143,557 | 0.00 | 2% |
| Corporate Bonds | 102,471,027 | 1.50 | 23% |
| Government Agencies | 141,843,283 | 2.27 | 31% |
| Treasury Securities | 199,481,680 | 2.07 | 44% |
| Total | 453,939,548 | 1.96 | 100% |
Final Maturity Distribution
| Duration | Historic Cost | % Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Under 90 days | 42,614,139 | 10% |
| 90-179 days | 23,211,182 | 5% |
| 180 days to 1 year | 69,717,597 | 15% |
| 1 to 2 years | 64,869,882 | 14% |
| 2 to 3 years | 110,848,350 | 24% |
| 3 to 4 years | 76,604,155 | 17% |
| 4 to 5 years | 66,074,243 | 15% |
| Total | 453,939,548 | 100% |
Portfolio Holdings as of June 30, 2025
| Issuer | Historic Cost | % Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| US Treasury | 199,481,680 | 43.94% |
| Federal Farm Credit Banks | 63,174,974 | 13.92% |
| Federal Home Loan Bank | 46,295,185 | 10.20% |
| State Street Corp | 18,671,878 | 4.11% |
| Federal National Mortgage Association | 16,607,322 | 3.66% |
| Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp | 15,765,802 | 3.47% |
| Home Depot Inc/The | 14,704,250 | 3.24% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 13,227,015 | 2.91% |
| John Deere Capital Corp | 13,082,060 | 2.88% |
| Colgate-Palmolive Co | 10,754,910 | 2.37% |
| Caterpillar Financial Services Corp | 10,472,451 | 2.31% |
| Cash | 10,143,557 | 2.23% |
| PepsiCo Inc | 8,213,372 | 1.81% |
| Microsoft Corp | 6,508,430 | 1.43% |
| Toyota Motor Credit Corp | 4,618,750 | 1.02% |
| Johnson & Johnson | 2,217,912 | 0.49% |
| Total Historic Cost | 453,939,548 | 100.00% |
Section 4 - The City's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Initiative
The City's investment framework includes considering socially responsible investment factors. The City's SRI program intends to allow the City to better achieve its sustainability and resilience goals, remain financially strong and better align community values. The program incorporates the strategies described below.
Exclusionary Screening
Exclusionary screening, or negative screening, is the process of excluding from investment certain sectors or companies involved in activities which are unacceptable or controversial. Investments for the City's portfolio exclude the following sectors:
- Fossil fuels inclusive of pipeline construction and extraction
- Firearms or weapons not used in national defense
- Tobacco companies
- Firms related to mass incarceration/private prisons/detention centers
Included in these negative screens is the prohibition of financial firms associated with pipeline construction. The City has further applied this limitation on financial firms to the group of broker/dealers through which investments may be transacted and the City has taken steps to remove any money market funds or cash pools that invest in the above sectors.
Positive Screening and Impact Investing
Positive screening and impact investing consider the impact that an investment is making. This strategy has been implemented through the purchase of a municipal bond issued for the construction and management of affordable housing. Other potential impact investing opportunities include investing in securities issued by the World Bank, which is an approved asset class per the City's investment policy.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Integration
The City's goal is to bring ESG integration to the heart of the investment decision process. The City monitors the ESG ratings provided by MSCI for the corporate bonds in the portfolio. The MSCI ratings are provided on a scale of 1 to 10 with ten being the highest. At this time, the weighted average Industry-Adjusted Score from MSCI for the corporate bond holdings is 7.6 which maps to a letter rated of "AA" on a scale of triple-C to triple-A.
The City also monitors the unadjusted Pillar Scores from MSCI for the corporate holdings. At this time, the weighted average Pillar Scores for the corporate bond holdings are as follows:
- MSCI Environmental Pillar Score: 6.5
- MSCI Social Pillar Score: 5.6
- MSCI Governance Pillar Score: 6.0
The City's ESG model can be refined to reflect the issues that matter most to the citizens of Boulder by applying customized weights to the MSCI Pillar Scores, thus creating ESG scores that better reflect the City's values, goals and policies.
Active Ownership/Corporate Engagement
Corporate engagement involves discussions with issuers about ESG risks and opportunities. The City is partnering with Insight Investment to seek the benefits of this goal. Insight requests and participates in meetings with management to understand key risks and potentially influence outcomes. Company engagement is critical to Insight’s credit process and their analysts meet with issuers to address ESG factors as well as other credit-related concerns or questions.