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Research Note: ETFs Exposure to Vulnerabilities During Periods of Market Stress

Exchange-Traded Fund Investors Legal Action Rebuffed This week on September 25, 2017 the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors were rebuffed in their legal action against BlackRock Inc. for omitting certain warnings in fund documents about what could go wrong with ETFs. The complaint against BlackRock was initiated by a group […]

Sustainable Portfolios Performance Summary: August 2017

Market Wrap Up-August 2017 The S&P 500 eked out a narrow total return gain in August, rising 0.31% even as volatility picked up after a placid start to the year. The narrower based DJIA gained 0.65% while the Nasdaq Composite Index extended its record streak and ended up 1.43%.  August proved to be an eventful […]

Sustainable Portfolios Performance Summary: July 2017

Major Asset Classes End the Month of July Higher; U.S. Dollar Decline is the Exception Except for the U.S. dollar that declined 2.9% in the month of July, major asset classes ended the month higher. The S&P 500 Index, which registered its second best monthly performance so far this year, gained 2.1% in July on […]

Sustainable Portfolios Performance Summary: April 2017

Late Month Rally Helps Stocks Achieve 1.03% Gain; Bonds Add 0.77% A rally late in the month helped stocks achieve a gain of 1.03%, the third best monthly result since the start of the year and an improvement relative to the previous month’s 0.12% increase. The upward change pushed year-to-date results for the S&P 500 […]

Sustainable Portfolios Performance Summary: June 2017

Stock Markets Register Best First Half Year Gains Since 2009 While slowing down in June, collectively, global stock markets registered their best first half year gains since 2009 as twenty-six of the world’s top 30-stock market indexes recorded gains. Strengthening corporate earnings, improving economies and continued support from central banks contributed to the strong year-to-date […]

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.

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.

Inesting 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. 

Independent source for sustainable investment management company research, analysis, opinions and sustainable fund disclosure assessments