July 2025 Newsletter
News & Commentaries by Ron Robins
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New July Podcasts:
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Can investors earn more by looking to ESG investments in 2025? “Is it possible for investors to earn more money by emphasising environmental, social, and governance investing in their portfolios? It appears that reports of a slowdown in ESG initiatives may be wide of the mark.”
[COMMENTARY] As I’ve said many times, the death of ESG is wildly overstated. Note that the younger the investor, the more they profess adherence to it! Can investors earn more by looking to ESG investments in 2025? By Dmytro Spilka, Solvid, July 25, 2025, FXStreet, USA.
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The Cost of Conflict: Assessing Financial and Reputational Risks for Investors in the Gaza Conflict. “Companies like Caterpillar (bulldozers) and Amazon AWS (surveillance) face lawsuits, shareholder activism, and ethical scrutiny over alleged war crime ties.”
[COMMENTARY] As yet, companies whose products or services are participating in the conflict have not seen significant hits to their stock prices. Will this change? The Cost of Conflict: Assessing Financial and Reputational Risks for Investors in the Gaza Conflict, by Eli Grant, July 26, 2025, AInvest, USA.
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In Periods Including Market Stress, ESG Provides Protection, Sustainalytics Study Shows. “Firms with lower ESG risk demonstrate greater financial resilience, particularly during periods of heightened market uncertainty.”
[COMMENTARY] This study is the latest in several such studies to show that in down markets, companies with low ESG risk can outperform their stock market peers. In Periods Including Market Stress, ESG Provides Protection, Sustainalytics Study Shows, by
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How ESG Funds Learned to Love Weapons. “The war in Ukraine has turned long-held assumptions about ethical investing on their heads.”
[COMMENTARY] Yes, some or even many ethical and sustainable investors are investing in companies with defence-related products and services. If your country and livelihood are being threatened, what would you do? How ESG Funds Learned to Love Weapons, by Antje Schiffler, July 15, 2025, Morningstar Global, UK.
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The Humankind 100 Rankings for 2025. “The Humankind 100 companies are ranked based on Humankind Value, a proprietary metric that provides an estimate of the overall dollar amount a company creates for investors, consumers, employees, and society at large, and are therefore among the most ethical companies in the United States, according to our research.”
COMMENTARY] The Humankind rankings have a unique methodology for evaluating and ranking companies. This methodology appeals to many ethical and sustainable investors! The Humankind 100 Rankings for 2025, by Humankind Rankings, July 2025, USA.
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Is ESG Data Helping Investors? No. And Yes. “Not everyone agrees about the usefulness of ESG information, but that doesn’t mean it should disappear.”
[COMMENTARY] ‘Buyer Beware’ is an old adage that is true about interpreting ESG data. For instance, I regard ESG data that incorporates the percentage of a company’s revenues that can be considered ‘green’ as more influential on my buy/sell/hold decision than if that ESG metric were not present. Is ESG Data Helping Investors? No. And Yes, by
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Companies Are ‘Greenhushing’ Their Ongoing ESG Efforts. Here’s Why. A new survey shared exclusively with Inc. shows that despite political hostility to environmental and other corporate social responsibility policies, businesses are still developing and investing in them.”
[COMMENTARY] I’ve said many times that companies will continue with their ESG, CSR, and sustainability activities because it makes operational and financial sense for them to do so. Companies Are ‘Greenhushing’ Their Ongoing ESG Efforts. Here’s Why, by Bruce Crumley, July 14, 2025, INC., USA.
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‘Advisers should speak to clients about values rather than ESG’. “Charlie French, co-founder of Etcho, said: ‘Stop talking to clients about ESG; it is something that has been politicised. We need to connect to them on their personal values.”
COMMENTARY] In this quote, Mr. French is spot-on. With this approach, clients will still be steered to top ESG companies. Clients will find that their high personal values are embodied in companies that excel in ESG characteristics. ‘Advisers should speak to clients about values rather than ESG’, by Tara O’Connor, July 10, 2025, FTAdvisor, UK.
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Corporations Are Playing a Bigger Role in ESG Bonds. “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) hasn’t lost traction after exploding in popularity after the 2020 pandemic. Corporations are playing a bigger role in the issuance of ESG or “green” bonds, paving the way for opportunities in funds like the Vanguard ESG U.S. Corporate Bond ETF (VCEB).”
[COMMENTARY] This article is a good overview of the state of the green bond market. Corporations Are Playing a Bigger Role in ESG Bonds, by Ben Hernandez, July 9, 2025, ETFTrends, USA.
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EU Nature Credits: A Green Gold Rush for Savvy Investors? “The European Union’s push to monetize ecosystem preservation through tradable ‘nature credits’ is emerging as one of the most promising frontiers in green investing.”
[COMMENTARY] A new market for investing in ‘nature credits’ — approved and sponsored by the EU — could come about by 2027. This article is a useful introduction for interested investors. EU Nature Credits: A Green Gold Rush for Savvy Investors? By Oliver Blake, July 7, 2025, Ainvest.com, USA.
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Why sustainable investments remain attractive. “Since the US reversed its climate policy, many question the future of sustainable investments. The UBS Chief Investment Office highlights three megatrends supporting continued investment in sustainable strategies.”
[COMMENTARY] Surveys show most companies will continue with many sustainability and ESG policies because such policies will improve operational efficiency and profitability. Oddly, many politicians view these policies solely through the lens of climate change — and ‘bribes’ of various forms they receive to support the fossil industries. Why sustainable investments remain attractive, by Stephan Lehmann-Maldonado, July 4, 2025, UBS, Switzerland.
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Here’s Why Sustainable Investors Are Hearing About Materiality. “8 takeaways from a panel about materiality. Financial relevance matters for values-based and conventional investors, too.”
[COMMENTARY] The more that ESG factors positively affect the operational and financial performance of companies, the more that ESG will regain acceptance even among its most ardent critics. ESG factors are often closely and positively tied to materiality issues. Here’s Why Sustainable Investors Are Hearing About Materiality, by
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Featured Book
Note: Ron Robins is an Amazon Associate. He thus earns fees from qualifying book or merchandise purchases referred from this website.
Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing: How to live your values and achieve your financial goals with ESG, SRI, and Impact Investing. “How can you find investments that truly reflect your principles? This excellent book will tell you. You’ll learn the nuances of social investing as well as discover your likely investment returns. Highly recommended!” –Jane Bryant Quinn, Author, How to Make Your Money Last: The Indispensable Retirement Guide. For more information, visit Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing: How to live your values and achieve your financial goals with ESG, SRI, and Impact Investing, by Larry E. Swedroe and Samuel C. Adams, Harriman House, 2022.
