Investortools

During the 2024 Fixed Income Leaders Summit, Senior Vice President James Morris sat down with Dan Barnes with Trader TV to discuss how municipal finance is being transformed by electronic trading and automation. This impact is particularly evident in the increased efficiency of odd lot trading, growing the number of the separately managed accounts (SMAs), and the ability to quickly find optimal trading opportunities in the market. At Investortools, Inc., we successfully guide clients through the transition to automation. By reducing the manual aspects of frequently carried out processes, users are empowered to scale operations and manage increased workloads more effectively. This efficiency is seen in portfolio construction times within our software, where clients are reporting rapid transitions from cash to fully invested portfolios in a matter of days. Connect with our team to learn how our automation toolkit and the #InvetortoolsDealerNetwork adds efficiency to historically manual processes: https://bit.ly/3WjX58H

We wish everyone a happy and delicious Thanksgiving tomorrow! As we celebrate the holiday tomorrow, we’re reminded of how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated and compassionate team at Investortools. Just last week, our Naperville office demonstrated this spirit during our annual volunteer service day with Loaves & Fishes Community Services & Fishes, a local nonprofit and food pantry serving the Naperville community. Together, our team packed nutritious and delicious groceries to support families in need, embodying the true meaning of giving. We are deeply grateful for our team's efforts, both in their work and their impact within our community. Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with gratitude!

Investortools is excited to announce our attendance at the 2024 BOND DEALERS OF AMERICA National Fixed Income Conference. The BDA event is one of the year’s most anticipated gatherings, bringing together leaders and professionals across the fixed-income landscape. The conference serves as a vital platform for discussing regulatory updates, market trends, and the latest developments impacting the municipal bond and fixed-income sectors. We look forward to seeing attendees at the event and connecting with industry professionals who share our commitment to advancing the fixed-income marketplace!

I'm glad for the opportunity to be quoted in this article by Jessica Lerner in The Bond Buyer that captures the current pulse of this year-end portfolio management ritual. Investortools' software for portfolio, order & execution management helps institutional investors do (among many other things) tax-loss harvesting on their fixed-income portfolios accurately and at scale. If that sounds like something you could use, check it out at https://lnkd.in/g9_4gD_F!

It can be interesting to look back where you came from. Hence: A Tale of Two Curves: Post-Pandemic Retrospective Bond yields were extraordinarily low through most of 2020 and all of 2021. Then, yields surged upward just as extraordinarily over the next nine or ten months. Since then, municipal bond yields have been up and down, but have recently ended up remarkably close to where they were after the 2022 yield run-up, according to ICE yield curves. The story for treasury yields is roughly similar, according to U.S. Department of the Treasury data. In the graphs below, the blue yield curve is from the beginning of 2022. The orange curve is from nine or ten months later in 2022. The green curve is from yesterday. The top graph is for high-grade municipal bonds, and the bottom for US treasury bonds.

“As our clients navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving market landscape, we remain dedicated to enhancing the tools and insights they rely on to achieve their goals with confidence. Our longstanding relationships with many of the market’s leading firms highlight our unwavering commitment to client success, reinforcing Investortools as an essential partner for achieving success in the fixed-income sector.” - Mike Green, Chief Operating Officer at Investortools Discover why Investortools was awarded the "Most Innovative Fixed-Income Investment Management Platform Developer” and “Credit Analysis & Data Management System of the Year: CreditScope”? by Wealth & Finance International: https://bit.ly/4fOdrgG

Since their post-pandemic high in June and July 2022, average spreads between BBB and AAA municipal bond yields have been cut in half for the longest-maturity bonds, according to yield curve data from ICE. The limbo stick keeps falling, and we might well keep asking, "How low can they go?" In July 2022, the BBB-AAA spread was 106 basis points for five-year maturities and 178 basis points for thirty-year maturities. Since then, it has fallen over 30% to 73 bp for five-years and close to 50% to 90 bp for thirty-years. In both graphs below, the solid orange curves are AAA yield curves, and the dashed blue curves are BBB yield curves. The top graph is from yesterday. The bottom graph is from July 2022. Spreads between the curves are shown in basis points at the 5-year, 10-year, and 30-year terms.

Investortools is honored to be recognized for the two FinTech Awards "Most Innovative Fixed-Income Investment Management Platform Developer” and "Credit Analysis & Data Management System of the Year: CreditScope" by Wealth & Finance International! ?????? ?????????????????????????? ?????? As clients increasingly seek platforms that seamlessly integrate with diverse systems, data providers, and trading networks, the demand for a unified workflow across multiple platforms has become critical to maintaining efficiency. Investortools leads this innovation in the fixed-income technology sector, with clients affirming that its automated solutions and advanced trading features are reshaping industry practices. This comprehensive suite of integrated solutions has earned the trust of 60% of Fortune 500 financial firms, solidifying Investortools as a trusted industry partner. ?????????????????? ?????? ??????????????????, ??????????, ?????????????????? ???????????????????? - Improve the efficiency of the fixed-income investment process via streamlined workflow management - Access the Investortools Dealer Network (IDN) which offers direct click-to-bid/trade workflows with the most comprehensive, consolidated view of the secondary market - Utilize real-time, persistent FIX connections and integrations supporting full end-to-end trade execution ?????????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???????????????? & ???????????????? - Leverage an extensive municipal and corporate debt database with data on thousands of issuers and millions of bonds, powered by Merritt Research Service LLC - Automate, standardize, and centralize credit research to minimize manual data entry - Mitigate risk through user-specific methodologies and active exposure monitoring Discover more about the award & our innovative solutions: https://bit.ly/4fr4H0q

Yields crept up throughout October, finishing the month substantially higher in both the municipal and treasury curves. October saw the largest monthly increase in yields and worst monthly return since September of last year. The negative impact of the yield curve movement was partially offset by tightening spreads especially on lower-rated securities. Reflecting on Municipal Market Performance for October 2024 with Joel Buursma and Mark Pinson Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/4fyD9G3 #municipalbonds?#fixedincome?#muniland

Last week, a record number of Investortools women headed to NYC for the Municipal Bond Women's Forum. The MBWF stands out for bringing together a diverse group of professionals from every corner of the municipal finance industry, while creating a space where those just entering the field can connect meaningfully with seasoned experts who have shaped this space for years. ???????????? ???????????????? At one of the event panels, technology emerged as a critical driver of growth, underscoring the need to unify order and execution management within a single platform. This integrated approach not only enhances efficiency but is vital for scalability, particularly in supporting SMA growth. Investortools’ comprehensive product suite directly meets this need through a fully integrated POEMS - Portfolio, Order, and Execution Management System. Powered by the industry’s leading credit data from Merritt Research Service LLC, the platform also supports credit research and analysis while delivering seamless solutions for bond sales, compliance, and fixed-income trading, complete with custom operational integrations. ???????????????????? ???????????????????? This year’s event was clearly the result of meticulous planning, making for a premium experience. A huge thank you to Rachel Perlman for her tireless dedication in orchestrating such a smooth and memorable event and to J.P. Morgan for hosting and leading such engaging discussions. We look forward to seeing how MBWF continues to evolve and inspire muniland! #MBWF #municipalfinance #muniland