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Sustainable (SUSTAIN) Indices Construction Methodology

The Bottom Line:  The article describes in detail the three sustainable (SUSTAIN) mutual fund indices, their construction methodology, index constituents and corresponding sustainable investing strategies. Summary The Sustainable (SUSTAIN) funds indices, including the Sustainable (SUSTAIN) Large Cap Equity Fund Index, Sustainable (SUSTAIN) Bond Fund Index and the Sustainable (SUSTAIN) Foreign Equity Fund Index, are designed […]

S&P Dow Jones Indices Launches S&P 500 ESG Index

S&P 500 ESG Index: Another portfolio tool for asset owners and investors The announced launch of the S&P 500 ESG Index on April 8, 2019 gives investors yet another benchmark or tool with which to evaluate the performance of the large cap equity market in the US, qualified on the basis of minimum ESG scores […]

Introducing the Sustainable Large Cap Equity Fund Index

SUSTAIN Large Cap Equity Fund Index Description The index is designed to track the total return financial performance of actively managed sustainable mutual funds investing in large cap domestic stocks and provide a basis for comparison to other similarly managed funds and various securities market indexes.  Initiated as of June 30, 2017 with data back to […]

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