Editorials
Ethical & Sharia-Compliant Investing Takes Off
By Ron Robins Sustainability issues and financial crises have spurred ethical and Shariah-compliant investing globally. U.K. green & ethical funds increased to £9.5 Billion in 2009 from just £2.4 billion in 1999 reports EIRIS. In the U.S., ethical and socially responsible investing in all its varied forms grew significantly to $2.71 trillion in 2007 (the…
Ethical Investing Shines in Africa As Economy Grows
By Ron Robins A new light in African ethical investing was shone on the plateau continent June 9, 2010. Called Africa SIF, [it] is designed to be a pan-African knowledge base, network and advocate for integrating ESG [environmental, social and governance] factors into investment in Africa.” Based in South Africa, this non-profit organization has the…
Investment Industry Ethics Should Bother You
By Ron Robins Two recent stories concerning the U.S. investment industry are the ‘tip of the iceberg′ when looking at the industry′s ethics. The first story concerns the May 6 flash crash where the Dow Jones Industrial index in minutes lost 9% of its value—though it quickly recouped most of the loss. Some knowledgeable observers…
A Call for Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting
By Ron Robins May 26, 2010, Canada′s CBC Radio carried this story: Eleven workers have died making products for Apple and Dell at a Chinese factory. Workers at this plant are now asked to sign a contract pledging that they will not kill themselves! This is a horrific story, but what kind of corporate social…
Best In Class Focus Provides Premium Returns
By Ron Robins A research study released this past summer suggests that for optimal returns ethical investors need to include ‘best in class′ stocks in companies that they might usually shun. As we know, ethical investors usually ignore companies because they are involved in activities, products, or services they deem unethical or harmful—even if they…
Blogs for Ethical Investors
By Ron Robins These blogs post useful commentaries related to many facets of green/socially responsible/ethical investing and are written by knowledgeable authors. Blogs that I especially like for ethical investors are marked with an asterisk. Obviously, the opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the authors themselves and may or may not reflect the…
