Since 2002
Postings and Commentaries by Ron Robins
More female, better corporate performance? Evidence from Chinese listed companies
More female, better corporate performance? Evidence from Chinese listed companies. “Our analysis indicates no significant impact of gender diversity on financial performance.” By Zhen Zhang, School of Finance and Business, Shanghai Normal University, China; Yifan Wu, School of Economics and Management, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; and Dongwei He, School of Finance and Business, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China. 30 March…
Morningstar Low Carbon Transition Leaders Indexes
“Providing diversified, broad market exposure to companies leading their sector peers in their readiness for—and action towards—climate transition.” [COMMENTARY] How these indices perform to other similar indices will be useful to watch. These indices will use data from Sustainalytics, a top provider of ESG corporate data. Morningstar Low Carbon Transition Leaders Indexes, March 30, 2024,…
ESG has long been part of the DNA of faith-based pension funds
“A number of church-based pension funds have asserted that ESG forms a core part of their strategies and raison d’etre.” [COMMENTARY] From a spiritual and ethical perspective utilizing ESG parameters in investing is essential. How about you? ESG has long been part of the DNA of faith-based pension funds, by Palash Ghosh, March 29, 2024,…
Disentangling the value of ESG scores and classification of sustainable investment products
“Confusion surrounding ESG data and mislabeling of sustainable investment products complicates adoption and regulation… Recently, the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFAI), the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA), and the Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) collaborated to synchronize common terminology.“ [COMMENTARY] This paper makes good recommendations on how to resolve common issues concerning ESG scores and…
The most innovative corporate social responsibility companies in 2024
“Why Verizon, United Airlines, Gilead Sciences, and Ikea are among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in corporate social responsibility for 2024.” [COMMENTARY] Some investors might want to review the list of the ten chosen companies as CSR leaders for 2024 by the business magazine Fast Company. The most innovative corporate social responsibility companies in 2024,…
Why asset managers need to explode these five ESG myths
“Asset managers ignoring ESG factors are taking on increased risk and missing out on opportunities to improve long-term performance.” [COMMENTARY] This article coming from EY — one of the world’s largest accounting and auditing firms — adds weight to the fact that the anti-ESG crowd is totally disingenuous and misinformed if they care about corporate…
U.S. SEC waters down its climate reporting rule under legal threats
“The sustainable investment industry in the United States has grudgingly endorsed a watered-down regulation on climate disclosure, acknowledging a barrage of lobbying and legal threats that thwarted tougher carbon-reporting requirements.” [COMMENTARY] This outcome is unsurprising considering the widespread anti-ESG sentiment among the right. U.S. SEC waters down its climate reporting rule under legal threats, by…
The SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule: A Step in the Right Direction
“Material climate-related disclosures will be required for SEC registrants (which comprise approximately 10,000 companies) as part of their annual filing, allowing investors to look at audited, temporally aligned financial and climate disclosures for the same period, at the same time. “ [COMMENTARY] These are the type of regulations I’ve been advocating for — for about…
Investor Hot-Buttons This Proxy Season
“Boards should prepare for increasing scrutiny of board effectiveness and director qualifications and potentially an increasing willingness to vote against directors.” [COMMENTARY] In my view, shareholders need to be more engaged with company boards and management than they have been in recent years! Shareholders advocating ESG or sustainability issues have also been sidelined. This needs…
Ethisphere Announces the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies
“Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, today announced the 136 companies that have earned the coveted designation of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024. This year’s honorees span 20 countries and 44 industries.” [COMMENTARY] Not only do the Ethisphere rankings provide great insight into a company’s ethical conduct,…
Business Leaders Fear Legal Action Over ESG Targets
“Concerns loom large among business leaders as the specter of litigation threatens companies falling short of their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets.” [COMMENTARY] ExxonMobil is being sued for knowing about the detrimental environmental effects of fossil fuels as far back as the 1970s. Yet saying for many years there was no significant problem. So,…
Why Buying Into Silver Makes Sense For Renewables Investors
“Silver is one of the most important investments we can make within the renewable energy sector. Renewable energy groups now see silver being used in many different ways within the industry. This is because silver is among the best electrical conductors that we have out there in terms of metals.” [COMMENTARY] I have advocated for…
Sustainable Funds Outperformed Peers in 2023
“Overall, sustainable funds generated median returns of 12.6%, almost 50% ahead of the 8.6% returns of traditional funds, with outperformance coming mostly in the first half of the year. Investor demand also remained strong with assets under management up 15% from 2022 levels, reaching $3.4 trillion; sustainable funds now account for 7.2% of total global…
2023 Canadian Responsible Investors Opinion Survey
“Two thirds of respondents (65%) are interested in responsible investment (RI), with younger respondents generally expressing greater interest than older respondents, and female respondents more interested than their male counterparts. Unchanged from last year, 70% of respondents know little or nothing about RI, including 21% that have never heard of it.” [COMMENTARY] The anti-ESG crowd…
Does ESG performance indicate corporate economic sustainability? Evidence based on the sustainable growth rate
“Based on a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2009 to 2021, this study finds that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance has a positive impact on having a sustainable growth rate (SGR).” [COMMENTARY] This study adds to a large body of studies indicating that ESG usually has a positive relationship with a company’s financial…
UK investors push Apple for AI transparency
“Scottish asset manager Abrdn and London’s Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) are planning to back a resolution for the company to disclose information about the ethics and usage of its AI technology.” [COMMENTARY] Among the concerns these and many other stakeholders have is the ability of AI to create ‘deepfakes’. Besides the ethical issues raised,…
Despite tripling assets, responsible investing funds haven’t outpaced market
The headline doesn’t match the article’s contents. More accurate is this. “An analysis shows retail investors drove global growth over the past 10 years, while the bias for negative screening and active strategies continued.” [COMMENTARY] Despite the inappropriate headline the article has some interesting statistics on responsible investing. Despite tripling assets, responsible investing funds haven’t…
Will Europe’s new standard help or hinder green bond market growth?
“The European Green Bond Standard (EUGBS) can potentially benefit both issuers and investors; its uptake is key for continued market growth.” [COMMENTARY] This article offers some good insights into the new EU green bond market regulations. Will Europe’s new standard help or hinder green bond market growth? By Kevin Leung, February 19, 2024, Institute for Energy…
The ESG Investment Surge: A 2023 Retrospective and What Lies Ahead in 2024
“In 2024, ESG investing faces challenges from regulatory shifts, market dynamics, and declining investments. AI, like IntellectAI’s ESG Edge product, promises growth in the sector, but balancing returns and sustainability remains key.” [COMMENTARY] The article partly focuses on the role that AI can play in ESG investing. The ESG Investment Surge: A 2023 Retrospective and…
DEI initiatives ‘not supported by the empirical evidence,’ Canadian researcher says
“Haskell’s report argues that DEI initiatives often undercut their expressed mission of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together. ‘What they are teaching has been shown to divide society: the empirical proof for that is clear,’ Haskell said.” [COMMENTARY] So, how do we get to the goals of DEI without DEI and making ‘whites’ racist and…
