Summary
A volatile August ended the last week of the month as it began but with opposite outcomes, driven by trade tensions between the US and China, geopolitical uncertainties and signs of an economic slowdown in the US and overseas. In the end, the broad market as measured by the S&P 500 Index closed down -1.58%. Bonds, on the other hand, benefited from lower yields and delivered a blowout month, up 2.59%, based on the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Index. Sustainable mutual funds/share classes, ETFs and ETNs, a total of 2,262 funds across all types from equity to fixed income, generated an average total return of -1.42%. Leading and lagging funds ranged from a high of +11.17% to a low of -13.12%.

Equity Funds and Other Equity and Equity-Related Funds
During a month when bonds outperformed US stocks, equity and equity related sustainable funds, including mutual funds/share classes, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) posted a negative average total return in August of -2.17%. Total returns ranged from a high of 11.17% recorded by Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund-Adv. to a low of -13.12% registered by the Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF. Both funds employ ESG integration approaches.