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Category: Chart of The Week

Published on a regular basis, the Chart of the Week offers timely proprietary insights and information on sustainable investing topics and trends, sustainable investment products and issues impacting the sustainable investing sphere, regulatory developments, and other topics of interest for asset owners, investment managers and investors.

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Chart of the Week: June 22, 2026: Variations in performance of sustainable mutual funds and ETFs

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Recent outperformance of sustainable ETFs versus mutual funds is attributable to variations in product offerings and investment exposures to higher performing sectors.  Notes of Explanation:  The top five exposures are anchored based on holdings by ETFs as of May 31, 2026.  Fixed income includes corporate bonds, government and government related issues, mortgage-backed… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: June 22, 2026: Variations in performance of sustainable mutual funds and ETFs

Chart of the Week: June 15, 2026: Leading providers of sustainable indices

Sustainable Bottom Line: Within a field of some 30 index suppliers used by labeled sustainable index tracking mutual funds and ETFs, three index providers dominate. Notes of Explanation:  All Others category includes 15 index providers using indices that generally apply to only one fund. Data as of May 31, 2026.  Sources: Morningstar and Sustainable Research… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: June 15, 2026: Leading providers of sustainable indices

Chart of the Week: June 1, 2026: Expense ratios across core sustainable fund categories

Sustainable Bottom Line: Labeled sustainable index mutual funds and ETFs cost dramatically less than actively managed counterparts, in some categories more than four times less. Notes of Explanation: Core sustainable portfolio investment categories listed in descending order, based on the arithmetic average expense gap for each of 11 categories. Sources: Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: June 1, 2026: Expense ratios across core sustainable fund categories

Chart of the Week: May 25, 2026: The duration divide in sustainable bond funds

Sustainable Bottom Line: With 30-year U.S. Treasury yields marching higher, sustainable taxable bond funds tell a clear story regarding the impact of duration and yields. Notes of Explanation:  Left hand chart displays average total returns Y-T-D for selected long-term sustainable taxable fund categories, as defined by Morningstar. Right hand chart displays Y-T-D average total returns… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: May 25, 2026: The duration divide in sustainable bond funds

Chart of the Week: May 18, 2026: Top fund assets gainers year-to-date

Sustainable Bottom Line: The top 10 labeled L-T sustainable fund assets gainers during the first four months of 2026 split cleanly into three sustainability groupings. Notes of Explanation:  TData to April 30, 2026. Top gainers by changes in net assets limited to long-term funds (i.e. excluding money market funds). For mutual funds with multiple share… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: May 18, 2026: Top fund assets gainers year-to-date

Chart of the Week: May 11, 2026: Morgan Stanley survey on interest in sustainable investing

Sustainable Bottom Line: 92% of individual investors across three continents expressed an interest in sustainable investing, but the survey results also reveal issues/concerns that may lead to disenchantment. Notes of Explanation:  Top reasons for interest in sustainable investing based on responses from those who selected very or somewhat interested in sustainable investing. Source: Morgan Stanley Institute… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: May 11, 2026: Morgan Stanley survey on interest in sustainable investing

Chart of the Week: May 4, 2026: A tale of two funds flows

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Unlike the broader sustainable investing segment, environmental strategies have attracted inflows in most quarters, with a positive $2.6 billion in Q1 2026. Notes of Explanation:  Quarterly net fund flows, sustainable investing categories as defined by ICI Research. Sources: ICI Research and Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC. Observations: • Last week, ICI Research… Continue reading about Chart of the Week: May 4, 2026: A tale of two funds flows

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