Large asset owners such as superannuation fund trustees have a responsibility not only to their member beneficiaries, but also to society at large. Investment decisions should manage both financial returns and societal impact. This report discusses opportunities and challenges faced by superannuation fund trustees in approaching impact investing.
This report introduces the investment strategies available to investors in their efforts to align their portfolios with a lower carbon, more climate-resilient economy. The guide focuses on three main areas for investor action: climate-aligned investment opportunities, integration of climate-related risks and opportunities into investment processes, and phasing out investment in thermal coal.
Explores the role of corporate partnerships and financial intermediaries that can scale finance and increase capital and activities in regions that are key for the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through case studies, it illustrates various pathways for capital markets to maximise SDG investments at acceptable risk levels.
This report discusses the investment performance of investment portfolios containing tobacco companies and those that excluded tobacco companies. The research concludes that there was no statistically different performance between portfolios that included and excluded tobacco companies over the last 20 years.
Climate change poses risks for the insurance sector. The 80 largest insurance companies were ranked and analysed according to their responsiveness towards climate-related risks and opportunities. Recommendations were established by determining leading practice, comparing approaches and evaluating the level of integration of climate risk into investment and underwriting activities.
Companies and institutional investors are being asked to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their business activities, asset allocation and investment decisions. The SDG investment case tries to answer the question: Why are the SDGs relevant to institutional investors?
Based on research conducted on the performance of nearly 11,000 mutual funds from 2004 to 2018, Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investment finds no statistically significant difference in returns between sustainable funds and traditional funds. However, sustainable funds demonstrated 20% lower downside risk than traditional funds.
This paper shares key ESG integration trends that Russell Investments has found in the fixed income market. It is based off observations derived from their 2019 Annual ESG Manager Survey and discussions with fixed income market practitioners looking at ESG considerations and implementations in their investment process.
This guide created by BMO Global Asset Management shows how and why they incorporate ESG factors and stewardship activities into their corporate fixed income investments and engagement approach. The guide also looks at how the growing sustainable bonds market is enabling fixed income investors to align investments with sustainability goals.
A research study conducted by the Barclays Research team seeking to assess the link between environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and credit portfolio performance. In addition, the report provides a general overview over sustainable investing and the top trends driving the rapid rise of its popularity.
This guide provides an introduction on how investors can consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when assessing fixed income instruments and their issuers. It outlines options for how to include ESG issues when building a fixed income portfolio and when working with issuers on how they manage ESG issues.
This article defines responsible investment, highlights the ways in which it is currently applied to managing assets, and outlines the key forces driving its growth. Additionally, it discusses common misconceptions about responsible investment.
