Can the U.S. Antitrust Laws Stop ESG investing?
Opinion: ESG is gaining traction as a political issue and in the process, arguments have surfaced that ESG initiatives may be subject to anti-competitive practices. The politicization of ESG investing is introducing additional business uncertainties and risks with financial consequences, including potential legal liabilities and reputational issues ESG investing is gaining traction as a political […]
Stocks and bonds recorded gains of 0.39% and 0.27% in May
The Bottom Line: Stocks and bonds eked out gains in May while the relative performance of selected sustainable equity and bond indices trailed conventional benchmarks. The broad stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, briefly traded in bear market territory but managed to eke out a narrow 0.39% gain in May The broad […]
S&P Global Ratings to issue ESG credit-related indicators
The Bottom Line: S&P Global Ratings becomes the third credit rating agency to issue ESG credit indicators intended to inform the CRA’s assessment of creditworthiness. S&P Global Ratings becomes third credit rating agency to issue ESG credit-related indicators S&P Global Ratings became the third credit rating agency (CRA), after Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors, to […]
Tesla now eligible for addition to the S&P 500 ESG Index
The Bottom Line: Tesla, already a member of some leading US equity ESG indices, is now eligible for addition to the S&P 500 ESG Index. Tesla now eligible for addition to the S&P 500 ESG Index Tesla was in the news again, this time in connection with the addition of the stock as a member […]
A Decade of Sustainable Funds Investing: 10 Years/10 Charts
Assets of sustainable mutual funds and ETFs close 2019 at $1.6 trillion, up from $113.5 billion ten years ago The total net assets of mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETF)(1) sourced to sustainable investing approaches expanded dramatically in the last decade, adding almost $1.5 trillion in the last ten years. Assets increased from $113.5 […]
Money Market Funds and Sustainable Investing: Happy Together
Introduction Additional money market funds have jumped onto the sustainable investing[1] parade by launching or converting existing money market funds to reflect the adoption of various sustainable investing approaches, ranging from negative screening (exclusions) to ESG integration, engagement, and even some variations of impact investing. In the last five months or so, a total of […]
Are Tesla’s Senior Notes Green? Analysis of Tesla’s Sustainable Bonds
Since the announcement on August 11 and successful placement of Tesla’s $1.80 billion Senior Notes, some disappointment has been expressed by the fact that Tesla didn’t formally qualify as green the company’s newly issued notes. It was suggested that issuing designated green bonds (or notes, in this instance) would have been a way to highlight […]