Original, independent, thought leadership

Sustainable Investing Due Diligence Updates-October 2017

BlackRock’s head of global stewardship leaves position. Date: Oct. 30, 2017                                                                        Alert:  MODERATE** Briefing Points – i) Zack Oleksik, who lead […]

Sustainable Fund and Manager Due Diligence

Introduction The growing traction of sustainable investing and sustainable investment funds[i] has brought with it increased attention to how these products are managed.  For fiduciaries, institutions and financial intermediaries as well as, robo-advisors and other platform “gatekeepers,” this has introduced a range of new due diligence questions.  These questions address what should be considered when […]

Sustainable Investing Alerts: January 15, 2019

Sustainable Investing Alerts Coverage: Nordea’s new fund, Sustainalytics GES acquisition, Eagle introduces new ESG strategy, Fitch launches ESG Relevance Scores, and Mirova’s new international ESG fund. January 10, 2019 DUE DILIGENCE Alert:  LOW COMPETITIVE Alert:  1 Event:  Nordea adds fund to its SICAV STAR equity suite. Briefing Points:  i) Nordea’s new SICAV mutual fund applies […]

BlackRock adds to list of sustainable money market funds

BlackRock announces new money market fund: BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund (LEAF) Adding to a small stable of sustainable money market funds as well as short-term funds, BlackRock announced on January 23, 2019 that it has filed an initial registration statement for the BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund (LEAF), a prime type money market fund.  […]

Majority of New Fund Formations in 2018 Emphasize ESG Integration Strategies

90 new funds with $2.6 billion in assets launched in 2018    In 2018 new sustainable fund launches included some 90 funds, consisting of mutual funds and corresponding share classes as well as exchange traded funds (ETFs) that were valued at $2,588.8 million as of December 31, 2018.  These funds contributed to the growth in […]

Sustainable Investing Alerts: December 31, 2018

December 31, 2018 DUE DILIGENCE Alert: LOW COMPETITIVE Alert: 1 Event: Gotham launches new ESG value fund. Briefing Points: i) The fund will primarily invest in U.S. common stocks of companies that meet the funds ESG criteria and are within the universe of the largest 500 – 700 U.S. companies based on market capitalization, ii) […]

Sustainable Investing Alerts: December 15, 2018

December 11, 2018 DUE DILIGENCE Alert:  LOW COMPETITIVE Alert:  4 Event:  Prudential adds an ESG portfolio to its UCITS platform. Briefing Points:  i) The new UCITS Dublin-based portfolio explicitly addresses the process of integrating ESG factors while “aiming for performance comparable to non-ESG holdings,” ii) All securities in the portfolio are assessed to identify and […]

Sustainable Investing Alerts: November 30, 2018

November 30, 2018 DUE DILIGENCE Alert: LOW Event: M&G Investments offers new equity impact fund in the UK.Briefing Points: i) M&G Investments’ new fund’s selections will come from the MSCI All Country World Index of 2500 global stocks of companies operating in “countries where there are social issues,” ii) the fund will invest in companies […]

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