ESG & Sustainability

This year has seen a steep slowdown in net purchases of global ESG funds, but inflows remain positive. Broader funds, meanwhile, registered USD 139 billion in net outflows in the first six months of 2022, according to Morningstar data.

Investors can access three different German benchmarks that follow an ESG strategy designed to meet specific needs and responsible objectives, and that have the same rules and transparency characteristics as the blue-chip DAX index.

Stocks jumped by the most in 20 months in July as investors focused on better-than-forecast earnings reports and on expectations that the Federal Reserve may slow down the pace of interest-rate increases.

The ROOF methodology can capture the ‘sentiment’ of a portfolio relative to its benchmark. We run ROOF scores to determine the risk appetite of investors holding four portfolios aligned with respective Sustainable Development Goals.

Stocks tumbled in June, with the STOXX® Global 1800 index sliding into a bear market, on concern the world’s major economies may be headed for a recession while central banks are fighting runaway inflation.

MIT Professor of Applied Economics Roberto Rigobon took the stage at the recent Qontigo Investment Intelligence Summit in New York to explain how inconsistencies in measurement, scope and priorities are leading to vast discrepancies in ESG ratings. To avoid confusion and mismanagement, he said, decision-makers must strive to understand what’s behind the data and carefully choose what best fits their goals.

At the recent Qontigo Investment Intelligence Summit, WTW’s climate experts discussed how investors can better grasp a company’s climate-transition risk by looking forward to the future impact on its cash flows, rather than backwards at its carbon footprint.

Changes were announced as part of the June regular review for the DAX 50 ESG, DAX ESG Target and DAX indices.

Real estate has long had the reputation of being at least a partial hedge against inflation, since both rental income and property values typically respond positively to inflationary pressures. The iSTOXX Developed and Emerging Markets ex USA PK VN Index has lived up to this reputation historically and is continuing to do so in the current inflationary environment.

ESG and climate metrics can be used as signals to generate alpha either on a stand-alone basis or to strengthen traditional style factors, BlackRock’s Andrew Ang explained during the Qontigo Investment Intelligence Summit.

The iSTOXX® Global Climate Change ESG NR Decrement 4.5% offers exposure to a portfolio on a decarbonization pathway and is compliant with the European Union Climate Benchmarks regulation.

A rebound in the month’s last week helped the STOXX® Global 1800 index record a small positive return for May, as investors continue to assess the impact on markets of rising interest rates in the US and elsewhere.