ESG and Ethical Investing - Articles & White Papers
Articles and white papers on ESG and socially responsible investing. The most popular ESG research in this section provides practical advice for tangible implementation of ESG policy, for instance, exploring a framework to integrate ESG factors into portfolio construction, and how to integrate ESG into private equity. ESG surveys have been well received, and the list below includes... a survey of European ESG funds as well as a report which examines how institutional investors incorporate ESG considerations when investing in alternatives. A commonly debated issue is the question of how ESG impacts investment returns. Can socially responsible investing deliver competitive performance, or does it hurt investment outcomes? This topic is well covered in this area of our library. Other research in this section includes papers on corporate governance policy, shareholder activism and the rise of activist funds. With environmental risks and climate change an increasing concern for investors, there are a growing number of papers on fossil fuel divestment. Furthermore, increasing attention is being given to how funds can actually use their investments to make a positive change for good, and papers on impact investing have proved popular, particularly in relation to endowments. This section also includes papers on faith-based investing such as Islamic finance.
For an ESG investor, the long haul has already started. Underlying many of the 2019 themes are potentially overlooked costs and opportunities, and the 2019 ESG Trends to Watch have one thing in common: Acting today could make the difference tomorrow.
Populist movements will force companies to rethink their purpose over the next decade. For that change to be meaningful, stakeholders will have to work together in an uneasy truce, guided by more forceful boards. This makes big leaps unlikely, but there is now enough momentum to move the dial permanently, from shareholder…
This paper seeks to provide a guide to help investors build impact management systems that are both tailored to their strategic focus and aligned with best practices. It will provide an overview of the different frameworks and tools available to impact investors and classify them into five broad categories: objectives,…
This year's Fidelity Analyst Survey reveals a corporate landscape of retreating confidence and quiet positioning for lower growth. But while the age of optimism might be over for now, recession is not yet upon us.
For their second Global Fixed Income Study, Invesco interviewed 145 fixed income specialists at pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, and other investment firms. Representative AUM for the survey respondents amounts to over USD 14 trillion.
For their second Global Fixed Income Study, Invesco interviewed 145 fixed income specialists at pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, and other investment firms. Representative AUM for the survey respondents amounts to over USD 14 trillion.
Recent proprietary research has revealed that there are a surprisingly large number of stocks with a positive impact – almost 3,000 out of the 15,000 in our chosen universe (the CS HOLT database). This is partially explained by expanding the universe to include small caps. Our results reveal that, contrary to conventional…
A recent research study finds a link between purpose, corporate profitability and significant positive riskadjusted stock returns, based on a private survey of about 500,000 employees in 429 firms. The study validates the importance of purpose as an aspect of corporate culture with measurable bottom-line impact. It also…
The share of renewable energy in the European electricity generation mix has heavily increased in recent years with no signs that this trend is going to stop anytime soon. This paper by Aquila Capital examines some of the industry changes taking place. It also takes a detailed look at the challenges and opportunities that…
Can environmental, social and governance concerns (ESG) ft within a factor-based portfolio? In this article, we tackle two issues: the inconsistency in methodologies for ESG scoring, and ways to integrate ESG considerations into factor portfolios.
In February 2018, Franklin Templeton's Global Macro Shifts issue 9 paper formally introduced the firm's proprietary ESG scoring system. Going forward, it intends to publicly update its scores on a recurring basis. This paper is the first of these updates. It contains a brief background on Franklin Templeton's ESG philosophy…
In the first podcast, Daniel Wild explains why embracing SI is “a good sort of selfish”, as it enables the investor to enjoy superior risk-adjusted returns while also helping the planet on a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues at the same time.
This article examines the consistency of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) data sets from four different ESG data vendors. We find that E scores are consistent across vendors, but suffer from ambiguity defining “better” scores. S scores are somewhat less consistent and seem to overweight good contributions to…
This authors of this report discuss risk and return implications of incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations in an investment strategy. They focus on the risk side in particular and argue that ESG exposures may be informative about the risks of individual firms. They find clear support for this…
Report by CFA Institute and the PRI Highlights Best Practices in ESG Integration Across EMEA. Findings Show Wide Range of ESG Integration Practices in Eight EMEA Markets from the United Kingdom to South Africa.
Emerging-market (EM) credit offers exposure to higher growth countries and companies as well as diversification and the opportunity to deliver superior returns. But incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is also key in this space. In this issue of Spectrum, we explore our engagements on ESG issues…
This report by Hermes Investment Management examine the significant themes that have informed the firm's engagements with companies in Q4 2018. It presents insightful commentary on tackling climate change and America's opioid crisis.
This paper has been authored by HSBC Global Asset Management. It explores the risks and opportunities for the investor, presented by the transition to a lower carbon economy. The paper focuses on six plausible transition scenarios, examining the impact of 'slower' versus 'faster' policy action, and of three different…
S&P Dow Jones Indices launched the S&P Carbon Price Risk Adjusted Indices to embed future carbon price risk into today’s index constituents. This paper explores it in detail.
