Harvard bonds draw buyers as clash with Trump fuels selloff

Harvard University’s ongoing clash with the Trump administration has sparked a flurry of trading activity in the municipal bond market for its tax-exempt debt.

The university’s bonds were once so coveted, they traded at yields lower than other AAA debt. Wealthy investors in the high-tax commonwealth of Massachusetts were eager to scoop them up for tax advantages and perceived safety.

But that dynamic began to shift earlier this year when investors grew uneasy as the Trump administration threatened the school’s tax-exempt status and federal funding, a move that had implications across the higher education landscape. Bond prices dropped and yields climbed.

Now, the bonds look like a bargain — especially for investors living in Massachusetts. 

Jeremy Holtz, portfolio manager at Income Research + Management, said his team has taken advantage of the “eds and meds” sector this year as the bond prices have fallen. Debt sold by Ivy League schools like Harvard, Princeton and Yale has cheapened between 30 to 40 basis points, depending on the security, he added.

“We typically refer to them as having fortress balance sheets,” Holtz said. “We still thought that they looked extremely attractive.”

Other muni investors appear to be growing more optimistic on Harvard. One security due in 2036 last traded on Wednesday at a spread of 28 basis points, the lowest level in months. That penalty had widened to as much as 97 basis points this year. 

The prestigious schools’ bonds may appeal to investors in high-tax states like New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, where wealthy investors tend to favor debt sold locally that’s exempt from state tax.

Holtz said that wealthy colleges will be able to weather the increase to the endowment tax as part of Trump’s tax-and-spending law. The wealthiest schools face an 8% tax — smaller than the 21% rate that House Republicans proposed in their bill. 

“We’ve found the past few weeks, the past number of months, to be an excellent time to be buying higher ed,” he said.

David Dowden, managing director and portfolio manager at MacKay Municipal Managers, also said his team has been looking at debt sold by well known, wealthy institutions in higher ed after the bonds cheapened. “That’s a trade we’ve engaged in.” 

Princeton University muni bonds have cheapened in the secondary market. At the start of 2025, debt due in 2038 traded at yields that were less than AAA debt. In June, that security traded around 30 basis points, though spreads have more recently tightened to over 20 basis points on July 14. 

To be sure, continued federal pressure on the colleges could cause investors to remain wary.

Christopher Lanouette, a Boston-based managing director and portfolio manager at CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC, said he’s generally cautious on elite colleges’ debt due to the political risks, adding that he’s been buying bonds on the short end for clients that live in high-tax states.

The Trump administration’s threats against the schools’ tax-exempt status, for example, could affect Harvard’s outstanding muni debt. But analysts at Barclays Plc said in an April report they see a small risk of the school permanently losing its 501(c)(3) tax exemption, noting that would be subject to legal challenges.  

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