Thematic Investing

At a recent IPE webinar, experts from STOXX, ISS ESG and DWS discussed how biodiversity impact is becoming a new risk consideration for portfolio managers amid tightening regulation and client demand. Participants also examined the new ISS STOXX Biodiversity indices as a framework to tackle nature-related risks and opportunities.

Hamish Seegopaul, Global Head for Index Product Innovation, and Brian Zimmer, Chief Technology Officer, share their thoughts on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the index industry in the latest issue of The Financial Technologist from Harrington Starr.

Looking at business lines’ revenues allows the index to tap those companies benefitting from growing demand for the AI ecosystem — from computing applications to chips, and from data to cloud computing. As AI has its “iPhone moment,” we explore what’s in an AI index portfolio.

Christoph Schon from our Applied Research team recently joined an ETF Stream roundtable on thematic ETFs. Together with colleagues from the industry they discussed the importance of index construction and theme selection.

SRP recently held an interview with Armelle Loeb, Head of Index Sales for EMEA at STOXX, to discuss indexing trends in the structured-products industry. Here we republish the exchange.

In June, stocks had their second-best month this year on optimism that the global economy is weathering a slowdown and that inflation is easing.

Global equity indices retreated in May, dragged lower by European and Asian shares. In the US, better-than-expected earnings from technology companies overshadowed concerns about a government default and ongoing interest rate hikes.

Thematic indices can offer diversification and market-beating returns, in some cases by using innovative index methodologies, says Christoph Schon at Qontigo.

The ISS STOXX Biodiversity Index Suite, launched this week, aims to take a more holistic approach to biodiversity than existing market offerings, Antonio Celeste, Director for Sustainability Product Management at index, analytics and risk solutions provider Qontigo, told ESG Investor.

The fight to preserve our nature’s systems is intensifying, presenting both additional risks and opportunities for investors. Qontigo’s ISS STOXX Biodiversity indices offer a multi-step framework to address biodiversity challenges while employing state-of-the-art datasets.

ISS ESG, the sustainable investment arm of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), and Qontigo, a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions, today announced the release of the ISS STOXX Biodiversity Index Suite to mark the U.N.’s International Day for Biological Diversity.

The goals of the Paris Agreement depend inexorably on the decarbonization of the transport sector and, therefore, on the widespread adoption of electric cars. Investors can join the clean transportation megatrend through targeted thematic strategies.