Who’s sustainable (ESG) opinion is it, anyway?
The Bottom Line: To ensure alignment with sustainable investing preferences, index fund investors should delve into the methodology used by index providers to construct benchmarks. 0:00 / 0:00 Leading providers of sustainable (ESG) securities market indices used in index funds Observations: Total US sustainable mutual fund and ETF assets under management as of October 31, […]
Sustainable ETF closures hit highest level in last four years
The Bottom Line: The ETF industry will experience the highest number of sustainable ETF closures, as so far in 2022 nine ETFs have been delisted. 0:00 / 0:00 Sustainable ETFs classified by fund net assets and number of funds in each asset categoryNotes of explanation: Sustainable ETF assets as of October 31, 2022 dimensioned by […]
Small-cap sustainable index funds outperformed actively managed counterparts
The Bottom Line: Recent outperformance of small-cap sustainable index funds versus actively managed sustainable counterparts influenced by their higher levels of exposure to value stocks. 0:00 / 0:00 ETF/Fund Name Tracking Index and ESG Integration Approach: Exclusions and Inclusion Practices Fund Size ($) Expense Ratio (%) iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF MSCI USA […]
Sustainable municipal bond fund investors stay firm
The Bottom Line: Sustainable municipal bond fund investors have taken notice of potential buying opportunities in municipal bonds and stayed firm even as returns plunged. 0:00 / 0:00 Notes of explanation: 12/31/2021 ETF assets exclude the Franklin Municipal Green Bond Fund that was rebranded and renamed in early May. Fund assets source: Morningstar Direct. Research: […]
Target date funds suffer steep total return declines
The Bottom Line: Sustainable target date funds suffered steep total return declines to September 30, 2022, but more attractive valuations offer upside potential for long-term investors. 0:00 / 0:00 Investment Manager/Fund Fund Structure Start Year Assets ($M) Expense Ratios Sustainable Investment Strategy BlackRock Fund Advisors/ BlackRock LifePath ESG Index Fund Largely affiliated sustainable passively managed ETFs […]
Sustainable fixed income ETFs gain assets
The Bottom Line: Facing strong headwinds, sustainable fixed income ETFs experienced net inflows on a year-to-date basis to September 30th while equity funds sustained outflows. 0:00 / 0:00 Sustainable fixed income ETFs: Top 5 ETFs based on assets gains and bottom 5 ETFs by assets declines year-to-date to September 30, 2022Notes of Explanation: *Index tracking […]
New fund launches in Q3 2022 include infrastructure options
The Bottom Line: Smallest number of funds launched in Q3 2022, but new launches include two sustainable infrastructure funds using different approaches to qualifying companies. 0:00 / 0:00 Quarterly # of mutual funds and ETFs launched between Jan. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2022Notes of Explanation: New mutual funds data excludes the addition of share […]
Performance advantage of ESG screened indices is narrowing
The Bottom Line: Long-term performance through September continues to support portfolios informed by or indexed to ESG screened international benchmarks, however, their advantage is narrowing. 0:00 / 0:00 Intermediate-to-long-term performance differential: Selected ESG screened indices vs. conventional indices: Trailing 3, 5 and 10-years to September 30, 2022Notes of Explanation: The six MSCI ESG indices include […]