“Barclays’ Quantitative Portfolio Strategy (‘QPS’) team finds that ESG-labelled funds do not necessarily provide more ESG exposure than conventional funds.” [COMMENTARY] This is interesting research. Of course, everything is in the details and I’d love to get some expert ESG opinion on Barclays’ findings.Barclays Launches Systematic Study of ESG-Focussed US Equity Funds, August 13, 2020,…

“Under certain ESG standards, the ratings of fossil-fuel giant Exxon Mobil and electric car maker Tesla could well be the same.” [COMMENTARY] Such an anomaly as cited above has to do with ESG company raters not rating the ESG characteristics of a company’s products or services and issues with cross-industry scoring. ESG raters typically rate…

“Under certain ESG standards, the ratings of fossil-fuel giant Exxon Mobil and electric car maker Tesla could well be the same.” [COMMENTARY] Such an anomaly as cited above has to do with ESG company raters not rating the ESG characteristics of a company’s products or services and issues with cross-industry scoring. ESG raters typically rate…

“This is because some activist investors view CSR as a sign that a company is wasting money rather than focusing on shareholder returns, according to research conducted by Pennsylvania State University’s Mark DesJardine, Erasmus University’s Emilio Marti and HEC Paris business school’s Rodolphe Durand.” [COMMENTARY] Note this study included years as far back as 2000.…

“This is because some activist investors view CSR as a sign that a company is wasting money rather than focusing on shareholder returns, according to research conducted by Pennsylvania State University’s Mark DesJardine, Erasmus University’s Emilio Marti and HEC Paris business school’s Rodolphe Durand.” [COMMENTARY] Note this study included years as far back as 2000.…

“About 217 businesses in the S&P 500 have publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement to show solidarity and protect their reputations. Question: How sincere are they?” [COMMENTARY] Rather than only saying that black lives matter, companies need to consider their internal functions and activities to determine how they can address internally such issues. Afterall,…

“If the DOL passes the rule as proposed ‘it would lead to worse outcomes for plan participants as plan sponsors shy away from assessing ESG risks in selecting investments. Indeed, since most participants use qualified default investment options–and ESG considerations would be barred in these options–most participants would not get the benefits that ESG risk…

“About 217 businesses in the S&P 500 have publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement to show solidarity and protect their reputations. Question: How sincere are they?” [COMMENTARY] Rather than only saying that black lives matter, companies need to consider their internal functions and activities to determine how they can address internally such issues. Afterall,…

“If the DOL passes the rule as proposed ‘it would lead to worse outcomes for plan participants as plan sponsors shy away from assessing ESG risks in selecting investments. Indeed, since most participants use qualified default investment options–and ESG considerations would be barred in these options–most participants would not get the benefits that ESG risk…

“The course, which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, provides a brief overview of the development of sustainable investing and summarizes the investment options and strategies available. It also links to additional resources and offers next steps for interested investors.” [COMMENTARY] This is a great idea. It could also be a good adjunct to myDIY…

“Integrating ESG factors, including climate change, into investment analysis and asset management activities supports the organization’s clear legislative objective: to maximize long-term investment returns without undue risk of loss.” [COMMENTARY] I’ve included this item to contrast this highly successful — and one of the world’s largest — pension funds, with the recent US Department of…

“The course, which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, provides a brief overview of the development of sustainable investing and summarizes the investment options and strategies available. It also links to additional resources and offers next steps for interested investors.” [COMMENTARY] This is a great idea. It could also be a good adjunct to myDIY…

“Integrating ESG factors, including climate change, into investment analysis and asset management activities supports the organization’s clear legislative objective: to maximize long-term investment returns without undue risk of loss.” [COMMENTARY] I’ve included this item to contrast this highly successful — and one of the world’s largest — pension funds, with the recent US Department of…

“BlackRock announced that it voted against management at 53 companies worldwide (primarily in the energy sector) for ‘lack of progress’ on climate concerns during the 2020 proxy season, and directed another 191 companies to take faster action.” [COMMENTARY] Blackrock, at last, appears to be serious about getting companies on board with climate change! It’s a…

“BlackRock announced that it voted against management at 53 companies worldwide (primarily in the energy sector) for ‘lack of progress’ on climate concerns during the 2020 proxy season, and directed another 191 companies to take faster action.” [COMMENTARY] Blackrock, at last, appears to be serious about getting companies on board with climate change! It’s a…

“Sustainable investing isn’t just about values, it’s about managing risks that affect all investors.” [COMMENTARY] Some interesting data about ESG ratings and returns in this article. Important for all ethical and sustainable investors to understand.ESG Investing Is About Long-Term Risk Management, by Alex Bryan, July 14, 2020, Morningstar, USA.

“Thus far, ESG funds have merely divested capital from the fossil fuel industry. They have put hardly any capital into new cleantech companies that could help with the energy transition. Energy efficiency technologies, hydrogen power, carbon capture and nuclear fusion remain severely underfunded.” [COMMENTARY] The writer makes one particularly good point about ESG funds. That…

“Sustainable investing isn’t just about values, it’s about managing risks that affect all investors.” [COMMENTARY] Some interesting data about ESG ratings and returns in this article. Important for all ethical and sustainable investors to understand.ESG Investing Is About Long-Term Risk Management, by Alex Bryan, July 14, 2020, Morningstar, USA.

“Thus far, ESG funds have merely divested capital from the fossil fuel industry. They have put hardly any capital into new cleantech companies that could help with the energy transition. Energy efficiency technologies, hydrogen power, carbon capture and nuclear fusion remain severely underfunded.” [COMMENTARY] The writer makes one particularly good point about ESG funds. That…

“For years, corporate reporters — those inside companies responsible for creating sustainability reports and reporting environmental, social and governance data to various other organizations — have been frustrated by what many refer to as an alphabet soup of standards and frameworks: CDP, GRI, IIRC, PRI, SASB, TCFD, UNGC and more. And while they grumbled at…