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Introducing our new release of sustainablest.wpengine.com. We publish investment research and analysis for the benefit of sustainable investors and other stakeholders.
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Current Sustainable Investing Research |
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| Top 10 Performing Funds February 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fund Name (MF/ETF) | 1-M (%) |
12-M (%) |
| KraneShares MSCI China Clean Tech ETF | 14.88 | 24.96 |
| Global X Wind Energy ETF | 7.6 | -11.3 |
| Cromwell Foresight Glbl Sust InfrasInstl | 6.12 | 6.85 |
| New Alternatives A | 4.72 | 7.38 |
| BlackRock Infrastructure Sust Opps Inv A | 4.71 | 9.27 |
| Ecofin Global Renewables Infras Ins | 4.56 | 10.54 |
| Xtrackers MSCI EMs Climate Selection ETF | 4.28 | 17.36 |
| KraneShares California Carbon Allw ETF | 3.39 | -26.59 |
| Invesco Real Assets ESG ETF | 3.25 | 25.41 |
| iShares MSCI Global Sust Dev Goals ETF | 3.21 | -1.72 |
| Best performing share classes only. Source: Morningstar Direct. |
||
A timely monthly snapshot of trends and developments in the sustainable investing market segment as seen through the lens of mutual funds and ETFs. The Monitor tracks total net assets trends, new fund launches and fund closures, sustainable bond issuances and the performance results of selected sustainable indices versus conventional benchmarks. Published monthly, the Sustainable Funds Monitor is usually available within ten days following the month’s end.
SRI Funds Directory
A comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.Sustainable investment funds performance wrap-up: January 2025
The Bottom Line: The broad stock market recovered from December’s decline while bonds as well as focused sustainable mutual funds and ETFs achieved partial recoveries.
February 28, 2025 Read More »
Sustainable Investing Monitor-February 1, 2025
The Bottom Line: Focused long-term sustainable funds gained $6.7 billion in net assets but experienced outflows, no fund launches were recorded, while ESG indices trailed.
February 27, 2025 Read More »
Fund Managers as “Arbiters” of Sustainability Issues
The Bottom Line: Challenges arising for fund companies that trend into the public policy arena can best be remedied through transparency, disclosure and reporting practices.
February 19, 2025 Read More »
Expanding universe of sustainable junk bond funds adopts ESG Consideration strategy
The Bottom Line: Sustainable junk bond mutual funds and ETFs expand, but the universe is dominated by funds that have adopted an ESG Consideration strategy.
SUSTAINABLE INVESTING SOLUTIONS THROUGH MUTUAL FUNDS AND ETFs
Getting started
Many questions have surfaced in recent years regarding sustainable and ESG investing. Here, investors and financial intermediaries will find materials that describe the various approaches to sustainable investing and their implementation. While sustainable investing approaches vary and they have thus far defied universally accepted definitions, many practitioners agree that they fall into the following broad categories: Values-based investing, investing via exclusions, impact investing, thematic investments and ESG integration. In conjunction with each of these approaches, investors may also adopt various issuer engagement procedures and proxy voting practices. That said, sustainable investing approaches will continue to evolve.
In addition to periodic updates regarding sustainable investing and how this form of investing is evolving, investors and financial intermediaries interested in implementing a sustainable investing approach will also find source materials that cover basic investing themes as well as asset allocation tactics.
Research
Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance, regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through index funds and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few. A continuously updated Funds Directory is also available to investors. This is intended to become a comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.Investing Ideas
Thoughts and ideas targeting sustainable investing strategies executed through various registered and non-registered sustainable investment funds and products such as mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Coverage extends to investment management firms as well as fund groups.TOPICAL SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH ARTICLES OF INTEREST
COP 28 could stimulate performance of clean energy funds
The Bottom Line: Fast tracking the energy transition at COP 28 could stimulate the performance of clean and renewable energy funds, overcoming recent poor performance.
Read More »
Interest in sustainable investing not diminishing
The Bottom Line: The campaign against ESG considerations by investment managers and investors shows no evidence so far that interest in sustainable investing is diminishing.
Read More »
SUSTAINABLEINVEST.COM
Serving as a source for sustainable investment management information, research, opinions and sustainable
fund ratings
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A Decade of Sustainable Funds Investing: 10 Years/10 Charts
Assets of sustainable mutual funds and ETFs close 2019 at $1.6 trillion, up from $113.5 billion ten years ago The total net assets of mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETF)(1) sourced to sustainable investing approaches expanded dramatically in the last decade, adding almost $1.5 trillion in the last ten years.
Read More »
Are Tesla’s Senior Notes Green? Analysis of Tesla’s Sustainable Bonds
Since the announcement on August 11 and successful placement of Tesla’s $1.80 billion Senior Notes, some disappointment has been expressed by the fact that Tesla didn’t formally qualify as green the company’s newly issued notes.
Read More »
NEW RELEASE
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NEW RELEASE |
CONTACT US
Directly for advertising opportunities.
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CONTACT US Directly for advertising opportunities. |
Introducing our new release of sustainablest.wpengine.com. We publish investment research and analysis for the benefit of sustainable investors and other stakeholders.
Original, independent, thought leadership
Our mission is to publish original, independent and thought leadership investment research and analysis to inform decision making in sustainable investing and to track trends and developments.
Anchored in a defined classification framework for sustainable funds, our research activities extend to investment strategies, portfolio construction, and the various investment alternatives encompassing sustainable investing across investment products. These include, for example, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, REITs, MLPs, as well as individual securities such as stocks, long and short-term bonds, including green bonds, social bonds and sustainable bonds.
We cover the broad arc of sustainable investing approaches, ranging from values-based investing, negative screening or exclusions, thematic investing, impact investing, ESG integration, shareholder/bondholder engagement and proxy voting practices.
Our content is primarily intended to educate, inform and guide investors as well as financial intermediaries. Included are asset owners, such as endowments, foundations, and pension funds, distributors, wealth management platforms, robo-advisors, family offices as well as other sustainable investing stakeholders.
Why focus exclusively on sustainable investing?
Our mission is to publish original, independent and thought leadership investment research and analysis to inform decision making in sustainable investing and to track trends and developments.
Anchored in a defined classification framework for sustainable funds, our research activities extend to investment strategies, portfolio construction, and the various investment alternatives encompassing sustainable investing across investment products. These include, for example, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, REITs, MLPs, as well as individual securities such as stocks, long and short-term bonds, including green bonds, social bonds and sustainable bonds.
We cover the broad arc of sustainable investing approaches, ranging from values- based investing, negative screening or exclusions, thematic investing, impact investing, ESG integration, shareholder/bondholder engagement and proxy voting practices.
Our content is primarily intended to educate, inform and guide investors as well as financial intermediaries. Included are asset owners, such as endowments, foundations, and pension funds, distributors, wealth management platforms, robo- advisors, family offices as well as other sustainable investing stakeholders.
What is sustainable investing?
As used here, sustainable investing refers to an umbrella term that combines at least the following investing approaches along with efficient traditional fundamental investment factors and processes to drive long-term value creation: values-based investing, exclusions, thematic investing, impact investing and ESG integration. These approaches are not mutually exclusive and may extend to include shareholder advocacy and issuer engagement, including proxy voting.
There are no universally accepted definitions or frameworks for sustainable investing, and practices continue to evolve. That said, the following six overarching approaches/strategies are commonly associated with sustainable investing:
- Values-based Investing – a strategy based on the guiding principle of investments that are based on a set of beliefs that contain a view toward achieving a positive societal outcome. Typically, this approach is executed via negative screening, divestiture, or divestment.
- Exclusionary Investing – involves the exclusion of companies or certain sectors from portfolios based on specific ethical, religious, social or environmental guidelines. Traditional examples of exclusionary strategies cover the avoidance of any investments in companies that are fully or partially engaged in gambling, sex related activities, the production of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, fossil fuels or even nuclear energy. These exclusionary categories have been extended, in recent years, to incorporate serious labor-related actions or penalties, compulsory or child labor, human rights violations and genocide.
- Impact Investing – a relatively small but growing slice of the sustainable investing segment, impact investments are investments directed to companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to achieve measurable social and environmental impacts alongside a financial return. The direct capital in this strategy addresses challenges in sectors such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, conservation, microfinance, affordable and accessible basic services, including housing, healthcare, and education.
- Thematic Investing – an investment approach with a focus on a particular idea or unifying concept. Clean energy, clean tech and gender diversity are a few of the leading sustainable investing fund themes. Investing in green, social and sustainability bonds or low carbon emitting stocks, bonds and funds also fall into the thematic investing category.
- ESG Integration – the investment strategy by which environmental, social and governance factors and risks are systematically analyzed and, when deemed relevant and material to an entity’s long-term performance, influence the buy, hold and sell decision of a security. Within this category of sustainable investing, significant variations exist in how ESG integration is deployed in investment portfolios.
SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Why offer research dedicated exclusively to sustainable investing?
The rapid expansion in the number of investors, investment managers, product offerings and assets under management and the continuing evolution of sustainable investing without the benefit of widely accepted sustainable investing frameworks, definitions, and rules, have contributed to confusion and misunderstanding regarding this sector of investing, the meaning of sustainable investing, and related to this, the financial and non-financial expectations or outcomes associated with sustainable investment product offerings. Affecting investors, regulators, managers, politicians, and other stakeholders, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between various funds and their sustainable strategies and outcomes. This makes it more challenging for investors and financial intermediaries to align investment products with sustainable goals, objectives, and values expressed by investors. As sustainable products continue to expand in number and investors, there is a growing risk that fund strategies might diverge from expectations (“greenwashing”) or may not align with investor beliefs or values and lead to disappointments or worse, in the form of redemptions and possibly litigation. The recent politicization of ESG is another manifestation of this issue.
By monitoring, scrutinizing, and reporting on trends and developments, an independent, original, research-driven information source dedicated to sustainable investing can support investors, financial intermediaries, and other stakeholders in their efforts to negotiate their way through the confusion and misunderstanding evident today in this sector of investing.