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Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: February 22, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG

Impact Investing Gains Traction in Canada
The 2018 Canadian Impact Investment Trends Report says total assets under management (AUM) in impact investments — companies, organizations, or funds that aim to create a positive social or environmental impact in addition to a financial return — rose to $14.75 billion as of Dec. 31, 2017, from $8.15 billion at Dec. 31, 2015.

How Socially Conscious Young Investors are Putting Their Money Where Their Ideals Are
An influx of young investors are leading a charge of socially responsible and sustainable investing, experts say, funneling their money into investments and projects that serve the greater good.

Most Managers See Sustainable Investing as Essential to Thrive – Survey
Most U.S. money managers view sustainable investing as a strategic business imperative and have adopted such investment practices, said results of a new survey from the Morgan Stanley (MS) Institute for Sustainable Investing and Bloomberg.

‘Increasing Maturity’: PwC Highlights Growth of ESG and Sustainable Investing
Global survey of 145 private equity houses finds environmental, climate and sustainability issues increasingly key for investors

Behind the Numbers: Retail Investors a Growing Force of Sustainable Funds
Ethical funds have been growing in popularity, with managers starting to address the demand. Once a niche area, sustainable investing has become one of the hottest topics in the investment world.

High Net Worths Believe in ESG but yet to Proactively Invest
Around 76% of UK high net worth individuals (HNWIs) believe the idea of environmental, social and governance investing is important, according to research.

Pushing the Boundaries to Make Impact Investing Available to Everyone
One of the challenges of impact investing is the perception that there is a lack of opportunities. This is happening across investors, financial advisors and even pension fund managers.

ESG Investing Does Not Cost More, Research Shows
Pension funds performing well on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors don’t incur higher asset management costs, according to research.

 

Developing Economies

What to Expect from Sub-Saharan Africa Economy in 2019
The IMF economic outlook presents a picture of what to expect from each economy or region annually. For Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in 2019, a GDP growth rate of 3.4% is projected at the aggregate level; a slight improvement over the 2.9% actual growth rate of 2018.

Ghana Meets Most IMF Targets as Reforms Advance, Says Lender
Ghana met most of the targets under its program with the International Monetary Fund and is continuing to advance reforms that will promote economic stability, according to the lender.

Zambia, Botswana, Sign AfCFTA
Zambia and Botswana have signed the agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) mean to create one African market. The two countries signed the agreement at the just-ended African Union Summit.

Politics Loom Over Thai Economy as Election Stirs Tension
Political tension has emerged as a threat to the domestic economic drivers Thailand is relying on amid a global slowdown. A push to disband a political party over a failed bid to make a princess its prime ministerial candidate lays bare deep splits ahead of a March general election, the first since a coup in 2014.

Vietnam’s Booming Economy Offers Investment Opportunities
Vietnam’s economy is growing and Asian fund managers are bullish on the country’s prospects. We assess the opportunities and how you can gain access.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: February 12, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

Investors are Starting to See the Positive Effect of ESG Investing
As the tide pulls some chief investment officers and asset owners toward improving corporate ESG practices, there is strong evidence that ESG investing is now rewarded, especially in the Eurozone, according to a recent Amundi SA study.

Impact Investing Isn’t Just for the Rich – We All Have a Part to Play
When I talk to people outside this field [impact investing], there’s still a widespread perception that philanthropy and impact investing is a preserve of the rich; that most people don’t have the luxury of being able to invest for impact.

Calls Grow to Change How ESG Risks are Categorized
Two European regulators, the European Securities Markets Authority and the European Commission, asked money managers in December to share their views on how to incorporate ESG factors into their processes in three European regulations.

Predictions for 2019: Impact Investing
There’s an opportunity this year to reshape what finance looks like – as long as that world is willing to ask itself some difficult questions, writes Daniel Madhavan, CEO of Impact Investment Group.

Emerging MSCI ESG Trends to Watch in 2019
Protest movements have elevated the profile of ESG investing to the point that financial advisors who dismiss its significance could miss out on attracting new clients as well as juicy returns for their existing clients’ portfolios.

ESG: A Trend That Pays Off in Performance?
More and more, individuals and communities are placing heightened awareness on being environmentally conscious, whether that is through Earth Day events or beach cleanup days. These activities not only have a positive impact on the environment but also socially — who doesn’t enjoy a clean, green environment?

What’s the Score with ESG Investing? You Have to Dig Deeper
Using ESG scores to measure investment worthiness of a company is a good start, but advisors have to go deeper to see the real picture.

Millennials: Save the World and Get Rich Doing So
ESG investing is one of the hottest trends on Wall and Bay Street, and no, it’s not just some fad that will die out like Bitcoin did last year. This may surprise you, but how environmentally or socially responsible a company acts could actually add intangible value that’ll ultimately be reflected in the stock price.

Surveying the Investment World Through an ESG Lens: A Snapshot of Key Topics from the U.S.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics have never been more prominent in investors’ minds than they are today. But there’s considerable variation among investment managers about how ESG is considered or integrated.

 

Developing Economies
 

The Case for Emerging Markets: Likely Long-Term Out Performance
While the performance in any given year is uncertain, emerging markets appear poised for out performance over the next 5-10 years.

AfDB Report: Africa’s 2019 Economic Outlook
This year’s flagship report is themed: “Regional Integration for Africa’s Economic Prosperity.”

South Africa’s President Says Mining Key to Reviving Economy
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country’s mining sector will be crucial to reversing sluggish economic growth and high unemployment.

Southeast Asia Bucks Trend of Sinking Global Foreign Investment
Southeast Asia is bucking the global trend of falling direct foreign investment, as the low-cost fast-growing region solidifies its position as an attractive location for multinationals.

Indonesia’s Economy Shows Resilience as GDP Beats Forecasts
Indonesia’s economy grew faster than economists expected last quarter, showing resilience in the face of a series of interest-rate hikes and weaker global demand.

Argentina’s Currency Gets Boost from Tight Monetary Policy
The ultra-tight monetary policy that Argentine authorities adopted amid last year’s currency crisis has yielded results and given a big boost to the peso, although economists see potential trouble on the horizon ahead of the October 2019 general election.

Brazil to Maintain Record Low Rates, Debate Turns to More Easing
Brazil’s central bank will keep its benchmark interest rate anchored at a record low later this week, and probably keep it there for the rest of this year, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: January 25, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

The Rise Fund Spin-Off Marks Growth of Impact Investing
U.S. private equity firm TPG and U2 star Bono’s announcement earlier this week that they have created a new organization for measuring the social and environmental returns of investments appears to be a signal of growing investor demand for tools to assess impact.

A 2019 Resolution to Start Impact Investing
Has this happened to you? A valued client comes to you asking about impact investing or a new sustainable investing fund, and you are caught flat-footed, not knowing what to say or how to advise the client on this growing segment of investments.

5 Major ESG Trends for Advisors to Watch in 2019: MSCI
These and other findings in the MSCI report spotlight environmental, social and governance  trends that could affect companies and investors in 2019, and should be on an advisor’s radar going forward.

Why There’s So Much Push For ESG Investing
Businesses shape our world, that’s a fact. Their actions are profound, global and lasting. They impact our Earth, our oceans, our climate, our cities and our lives. We can all participate in changing the world for the better by inciting businesses to become a driving force for good.

Misaligned Hiring Priorities Risk Taking the Impact Out of Impact Investing
The underlying assumption behind this underestimation is simple: they believe it’s easier to teach an experienced venture investment professional about social impact than it is for a social impact expert with no investment experience to learn the rules of the venture capital game and develop the pattern-matching skills to be a successful investor.

OECD Says Impact Investment Needs Universal Standards
Impact investing could be more effective if universal measurement standards were implemented and impact goals were better defined, an OECD report says.

How Impact Investing Can Amplify Philanthropic Efforts
For years, philanthropy and investing have been treated as separate disciplines—one championing social change, the other financial gain. The idea that the two approaches could be integrated in the same deals once struck most philanthropists and investors as far-fetched. Not anymore.

Skeptical About ESG? Don’t Be. Here’s Why
The evidence is piling up against advisors who remain skeptical on environment, social and governance investing. A recent study by Amundi SA found that government actions and corporate scandals have forced a “wake-up call” to scrutinize companies for ESG friendliness, something even sovereign wealth funds and central banks are acting on.

The Top Ten Trends That Will Affect Family Offices In 2019 And Beyond
There is an undeniable socio-cultural mindset shift towards ethical social and environmental practices. Consumers and employees, as well as the world at large, are putting pressure on organizations to do what is best for people and the planet before driving the profit agenda.

 

Developing Economies
 

Unlimited Opportunities: Creating More Jobs for Young People in Emerging Market and Developing Economies
“To define is to limit,” Oscar Wilde once said. But sometimes economists need to use definitions to see the scope of a problem and find ways to lift the limits to success. This is especially true for young people in emerging markets and developing economies.

IMF Warns Trade Tensions Could Hit Growth
The International Monetary Fund has warned that escalating trade tensions could undermine global economic growth.

UN Speaks Positively about Kenya’s Economic Growth
Economic growth is expected to remain strong in Kenya and the rest of East Africa this year and the next, the United Nations said.

Two Decades Post Asian Financial Crisis, How Southeast Asia Can Keep Up Stunning Growth
For ASEAN to continue to prosper in 2019 and beyond, they’ll need to drive harder for regional integration, says HSBC Singapore’s Tony Cripps.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: January 18, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

An ESG Approach to Emerging Market Debt
The growing interest in ESG factors reflects a developing trend that asset owners and investors are increasingly focused on sustainability alongside investment performance. BNP Paribas AM believes ESG factors are integral in emerging market investing.

Institutions Increase ESG Focus in 2018
At the start of 2018, public pension plans and insurance companies accounted for about 91% of institutional assets focused on environmental, social and governance factor investing, with educational institutions a distant third at 6% of total ESG assets.

Virtuous Investing Finally Starts to Pay Off
A study published this week by Amundi SA, Europe’s biggest money manager with 1.5 trillion euros ($1.7 trillion) of assets, suggests that ESG’s first movers have been subject to a disadvantage, but the tide is turning in favor of the virtuous.

How to Evaluate Socially Responsible Investing
Finding socially responsible investments is easier than ever before, but questions still remain around just what impact these investments are actually having.

The State of Socially Responsible Investing
Many of the innovations have been driven by a collaboration between public, private, and philanthropic institutions.

When Cash is Not King: The New Favorite Investment Option for Family Offices
As an investment driver, impact investing is becoming increasingly popular amongst family offices, with 32% surveyed now reporting involvement in this space, a 4.2% increase versus 2017.

Opinion: The ‘Impact Imperative’ for Sustainable Development Finance
There is no luxury to invest in development without certain, sustainable impact.

The New Era of Refugee Investing
More than three years into the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), not one country is on track to achieve them by the 2030 deadline. This conclusion, reached in a recent Brookings Institution report, highlights the enormous human costs associated with not meeting these goals, and implores countries to do more

 

Developing Economies
 

Emerging-Market Rally Suddenly Seems Possible
The Federal Reserve’s more dovish tone, combined with falling volatility, relatively low valuations and rising commodity prices, are keeping most investors positive

African Growth Too Slow for Expanding Workforce –AfDB
Africa’s anticipated healthy annual economic growth of about 4 percent in coming years will still be too slow to create enough jobs for its fast-expanding labor force, a regional loan body said on Thursday.

Southeast Asia’s Retail Boom Fuels the Rise of Logistics
Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao Smart Logistics Network had reportedly delivered the first 100 million parcels from the Singles Day Global Shopping Festival in just 2.6 days, illustrating that the e-commerce giant is quite simply on a whole another level to the logistics companies in Southeast Asia which are beset by infrastructure challenges.

Argentina and Chile Agree to Free Trade Agreement
With the decline of Mercosur, Argentina is looking westward towards its Pacific allies, as it signs a landmark free trade agreement with Chile.

Brazil’s Economy Set to Rebound on New Government Reforms: Reuters Poll
Brazil’s sluggish economic growth will pick up smartly this year, provided President Jair Bolsonaro’s new government implements promised budget-tightening reforms and helps expand the private sector, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: January 11, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

ESG Influence on Credit Ratings Revealed by Fitch Ratings
London-based Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency, has issued a new scoring system that shows how environmental, social and governance factors impact individual credit rating decisions, Fitch Ratings announced Monday.

To Build a Sustainable Future, Impact Investing Needs to be Brought into the Forefront
It goes without saying that bringing impact investing to the forefront would provide a new power and push to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

If 2018 Was the Year of ESG Investing, What Will 2019 Bring?
Today, sustainable investment has evolved from negative exclusion to positive inclusion. Now, 90 percent of institutional investors globally believe ESG (environmental, social and governance) integrated portfolios are likely to perform as well or better than non-ESG integrated portfolios, and 72 percent are evaluating ESG factors to make investment decisions.

How Data-Driven Strategies Can Improve Impact Investing Outcomes
Data science is making inroads into the world of impact investing, helping program designers and beneficiaries achieve closer alignment between their goals and strategies.

Finance as a Force for Good
Sustainable investing, previously a niche specialization, has become increasingly commonplace in recent years. Globally, more than a quarter of professionally managed assets are now invested according to ESG principles. In addition, many mainstream financial institutions are publicly committing to sustainable investing as the way forward.

Money Managers Eager to Make Leap to Opportunity Zone Investing
Manager interest in launching funds to invest in U.S. low-income communities designated as qualified opportunity zones is running high but the number of funds launched still is low as firms await greater regulatory clarity.

Millennials Show Increasing Interest in Impact Muni Bond
Millennials have an appetite for a slice of the muni bond market when it comes to investments in affordable housing, education or sustainable energy, something experts say is part of a trend of younger investors increasingly seeking those kinds of investments.

Sustainability Execs Share Strategies for New Era of ESG Disclosure
As we look forward to a greener economy in 2019, we asked members of the GreenBiz Executive Network, our member-based, peer-to-peer learning forum for sustainability professionals, to offer their perspective on the greater alignment of investors and companies to accelerate sustainable capital growth.).

A Year in Review: Nasdaq’s ESG Milestones in 2018
Exchanges play a critical role in creating jobs and economic growth around the world. Given our central place in the financial ecosystem, Nasdaq has both the ability and responsibility to direct capital flows toward more sustainable use.

 

United States & Europe
 

The Economy is Finally Coming Through for U.S. Workers
Decent wage gains are showing up in paychecks. That should continue for a while.

 

Developing Economies
 

Trade Tops Emerging-Market Bill with Growth Outlook in Balance
There are few if any stories in emerging markets big enough this week to eclipse the U.S.-China trade meetings in Beijing.

Africa: Regional Integration Key to Africa’s Economic Growth
Integration is an important engine for economic growth, sustainable development and improving the living standards of the African people.

India Has a Growing Impact Investing Industry, but can it Scale?
The growth in India’s mobile phone market has helped an unexpected sector — impact investing.

Indonesia Targets 7 Percent Growth in Agroindustry
The Industry Ministry has targeted an increase of 7.1 percent in the agroindustry in 2019, higher than last year’s 6.93 percent, following a surge in domestic demand.

Vietnam Reaps Sixth Straight Record Year in Foreign Investment
Foreign direct investment in Vietnam climbed 9.1% in 2018 to reach $19.1 billion, the government reports, marking a sixth straight annual record as capital keeps flowing into one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

Bolivia to Lead Economic Growth in South America in 2019
Bolivia will lead again 2019 economic growth in South America, with an expansion of 4.3 percent of its GDP.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: January 04, 2019

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

How Green Wall Street Can Weather 2019
The New Year promises serious challenges for the rapidly growing number of socially conscious investors.

Sustainable Investment in Asia: Ready to Take Off
Broader adoption of ESG investing is now accelerating in Asia. In particular, we’re seeing a greater push by leading institutions or governments in embracing ESG.

Impact Investing, Just a Trend or the Best Strategy to Help Save Our World?
Impact investment is capturing the growing attention of mainstream investors, and everyone is increasingly hearing and talking about it.

Impact Investing: The Mindless Mantra – ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’
To bring about fundamental change and to find long-lasting solutions, isn’t always pretty and it is certainly not always a win-win in the financial sense.

Want to Discuss Gender Lens Investing? #MeToo
Increasingly discussed in asset management firms and the financial press alike, gender lens investing is one of the most rapidly growing segments of sustainable investing. Specifically, gender lens investing in an investment thesis that seeks to turn the abstract idea of an investment’s benefit to women into a functional investment strategy.

 

United States & Europe
 

U.S. Economy Added 312,000 Jobs in December and Wage Growth Gained Steam, Marking a Strong Finish to 2018
The U.S. economy added 312,000 jobs in December, smashing expectations for year-end growth, and wages rose 3.2 percent in the year since December 2017 after nearly a decade of tepid improvements, federal economists reported Friday.

 

Developing Economies
 

Why Kenya’s Economic Prospects Look Promising
The year 2018 marked a turning point in Kenya’s economic growth. Projections suggest growth will be on an upward trend till 2022.

Southeast Asia is the Best Market for Fintech
Fintech investments in ASEAN countries in 2018 will exceed the $5.7 billion invested in 2017 by 20% to 30%, according to the report, which surveyed more than 60 private fintech firms. Online lenders and fintechs that facilitate access to credit are identified by the report as the most promising areas.

China’s Growth to Shape Asia’s Economy in 2019
The current slowdown in the Chinese economy, the world’s second-largest, is likely to define the 2019 economic outlook in Asia. After years of expansion, the Chinese economy is showing signs of waning. It is anticipated that growth in 2018 will be the weakest seen since 1990.

Weekly Impact Investing Market Update: December 28, 2018

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

The Year in Impact Enterprise and Investing
As the year draws to a close, let’s pause to consider what took place in the world of social enterprise and impact investing. Here are five noteworthy happenings.

Broadening the Meaning of Gender-Lens Investing
Demand for “gender-lens investing” strategies has boomed as investors seek to put capital to work in companies that address gender equality in the workplace.

New York City Will Invest a Portion of Its Pension Fund in Climate Solutions
New York City teachers, firefighters, and sanitation workers are investing in a healthier climate – through their pensions. In September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that two percent of the city’s pension fund – that’s about four billion dollars – will be invested in companies working on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other climate solutions.

CalPERS Engages Private Prison Companies
The chairman of the investment committee of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) says investment officials are engaging management of two private prison companies, CoreCivic and The GEO Group, as well as defense contractor General Dynamics.

Five Themes Expected to Impact Investing in Early 2019
This year has been dominated by geopolitical waves of market uncertainty, protectionism and trade wars.

 

United States & Europe
 

The Year in Emerging Europe
Here is the year in review for all countries in the Emerging Europe region.

 

Developing Economies
 

Vietnam Unseats Singapore as Largest IPO Fundraiser in Southeast Asia
Vietnam leaped to the top of Southeast Asia’s IPO ranking with five IPOs raising $2.6 billion, consultancy EY said.

Argentina to Lead Emerging-Market Rebound in 2019, Says Templeton Bond Head
An emerging-market money manager known for making contrarian bets says Argentina, home to the world’s worst-performing currency this year, looks primed to lead a developing-nation rebound in early 2019.

Brazilians Have Never Been so Sanguine About Economy, Poll Shows
Brazilians’ optimism about the economy has soared to a record high as President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office on Jan. 1, according to a Datafolha poll published on Sunday.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: December 14, 2018

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

How Socially Responsible Stocks Could Protect Investors in a Bear Market
So-called ESG equity strategies—buying the stocks of companies that perform well on environmental, social-responsibility and governance metrics—can help you align your portfolio with your ethical values. But can they also help you ride out a down market, or even a bear market, with fewer losses? It seems 2019 may be the year that investors find out.

‘Investing for Good’ Meets the Law
By law, a trustee must abide by fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence, and therefore act for the “exclusive” benefit of the beneficiaries, considering “solely” their interests, without regard for collateral benefits, such as advancing social or environmental causes.

Creating an On-Ramp for Impact Investors: An Interview with the GIIN’s Amit Bouri
Started in 2009, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) conducts research on impact investment, runs training programs for investors and fund managers, organizes industry events and builds tools and resources for impact measurement.

IPE Conference: Quantitative vs Qualitative in Impact Investing
Being able to convey the social or environmental impacts of investments in numbers is not the be-all and end-all of impact investing, asset owners told IPE’s annual conference last week.

How Impact Investing Could Move from the Margins to Mainstream
The amount of money that goes towards impact investing globally is far short of what is needed to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Charitable institutions, donors, foundations and NGOs have long been the chief champions of impact investing, and the best bet is for the private sector to address the funding gap, experts say.

Impact Investing Could Accelerate the Fight Against Cancer
A new generation of philanthropists, whose wealth was created via entrepreneurship in technology-driven fields, has the unique opportunity to make a real difference in speeding the pace of progress in the fight against cancer.

10 Key Alpha Drivers in Impact Investing
Yes, impact investing does boost financial returns, but does more, according to the latest study confirming this finding, which also zeroed in on 10 “unique drivers” that “can enhance or add financial value” for investors.

 

Developing Economies
 

Outlook 2019: Emerging Markets are Better than the U.S. if Dollar Cooperates
It’s already happening. Don’t let the recent sell-off scare you: The smart money is moving out of the U.S. and going abroad. The risk-off cash position is due to the Fed. The rest is a symptom of a red-hot U.S. stock market that got too expensive for its own good, and right at a time when interest rates are rising and tight labor markets have peaked.

Deals, Dollars and Development on the African Continent
The first-ever Africa Investment Forum was a resounding success with some fascinating math: 49 projects worth $38.7 billion over three days, all for the continent.

A Southeast Asian Currency is Set to Top 2018’s Emerging-Market List
Having a strong buffer in times of stress does pay off. Just look at the baht. The Thai currency has declined 0.3 percent to 32.672 against the dollar this year as of 1:11 p.m. in Bangkok, the best performance among 22 major developing-economy currencies tracked by Bloomberg.

From Politics to Policies: A Guide to Latin America Markets in 2019
Latin America’s two largest markets will start 2019 in the hands of new populist presidents who are pledging to overturn decades of consensus policies in an effort to revitalize growth and boost investor confidence.

Latin American Markets Look Promising in 2019 and Beyond
2019 is likely to be a year of volatility in Latin America, but markets look promising for long-term investors. Given banks’ and other financial institutions’ significant exposure to Latin America, analysts and investors will have to be very attentive to external and domestic factors that will influence the performance of Latin American bonds, equities and foreign exchange markets.

Brazil’s 2019 Earnings Growth May Top Emerging-Market Peers
Brazil’s Ibovespa index has advanced over 15 percent so far this year, one of the best performers among main global benchmarks, as corporate results shined amid record low interest rates and subdued inflation. In the third quarter, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization grew 27 percent for Ibovespa listed companies, according to Banco Santander Brasil SA.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: December 7, 2018

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Impact Investing & ESG

Advisory Intelligence: The Importance of the ‘S’ in ESG
Though when ESG is split into its component parts: the ‘E’ – the environment has dominated the narrative, with the ‘G’ – governance – being the bread and butter issue companies must be seen to be dealing with effectively, while the social aspect, making up the ‘S’ has been left behind.

CalPERS Make ESG Changes
CalPERS officials hope ESG revisions will add alpha to the pension system’s $178.6 billion global equity portfolio.

FTSE Russell, Sustainalytics to Develop ESG Indexes
FTSE Russell and ESG research firm Sustainalytics are working together to develop ESG indexes. Through this partnership, investors will have environmental, social and governance-factor versions of the core Russell 1000, 2000 and 3000 family of U.S. indexes, using Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings tools, said Tony Campos, FTSE Russell director of North America ESG, in a phone interview.

ESG Can and Should be a Key Part of Credit Investing
ESG investing is rapidly growing in popularity as an investment theme around the world, and this couldn’t be truer than in Asia. ESG integration is a key component of fundamental research and is a theme that now features heavily across the spectrum of investment products.

UBS Global Wealth Management Will Give ESG Scores to Funds
UBS Global Wealth Management will score the environmental, social and governance strategies of investment funds available to its advisers and clients starting next year.

 

United States & Europe

U.S. Unemployment Holds at 3.7 Percent as Economy Adds 155,000 Jobs
The jobless rate remained at a nearly 50-year low of 3.7 percent in November as employers added 155,000 jobs, fewer than in October and less than expected by private analysts.

EU Reaches Limited Agreement to Bolster Economic and Monetary Union
EU finance ministers concluded a deal on Tuesday (4 December) to bolster the region with new tools to save ailing banks and member states but postponed Europe-wide instruments to protect depositors or stabilize national economies.

 

Developing Economies

Trade Truce Offers Dose of Cheer for Emerging-Market Investors
A temporary truce from a highly anticipated dinner between U.S. and Chinese leaders may give emerging-market traders a reason to cheer Monday, though it didn’t dispel the uncertainty that their dispute has inflicted on markets through much of the year.

AEC 2018 – Africa’s Private Sector can be Major Driver for Regional Integration
Africa’s growing and vibrant private sector can be a major driver of the regional integration across the continent, according to leading experts at the ongoing African Economic Conference (AEC) 2018.

Rwanda the Emerging Economy to Watch
In recent years, at business summits across the world, it’s not uncommon to hear such praise about Rwanda. Various speakers have singled it out as one of the emerging economies to look out for in terms of investment opportunities, value for money and economic growth.

South Africa’s Economy Out of Recession as GDP Expands 2.2% in Q3
South Africa’s economy grew more than expected in the third quarter as manufacturing and agriculture accelerated to drag the country of its first recession in nearly a decade, data showed Tuesday.

Shenzhen and Jakarta Shine in City Economy Forecasts for 2030
U.S. cities have a firm grip on the ranking of the biggest urban economies on either side of the Pacific, but a power shift lies ahead within Asia, new data from the Japan Center for Economic Research shows.

Brazil Economy Bounces Back in Third Quarter
Brazil’s economy grew at its fastest pace in 18 months during the third quarter as the country bounced back from a crippling trucker strike and providing a fillip to the incoming government of Jair Bolsonaro.

Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: November 21, 2018

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Impact Investing & ESG
 

Your Money – Is Impact Investing Too Good to be True?
There is more to socially responsible investing than just avoiding stocks that are against your principles, whether it be guns or tobacco or bad environmental practices.

Big Issue Works with Fund Managers on Impact Investing Push
Standard Life Aberdeen, Columbia Threadneedle and AllianceBernstein have teamed up with the Big Issue, the magazine sold by homeless people, to create a blockchain-powered platform that offers impact funds to retail investors.

Are ESG Ratings the New Credit Rating for Stock Prices?
A new MSCI study of ESG ratings finds they have a similar impact on share prices as do credit ratings.

Female Advisers More Likely to Consider ESG Investing Strategies
A recent study conducted by InvestmentNews Research and sponsored by Calvert Research and Management measured financial advisers’ perceptions of environmental, social and corporate governance investing.

 

Developing Economies
 

Why Emerging Markets are a Screaming Buy
Stocks in the developing world are volatile but inexpensive.

What Africa’s Central Banks Will Discuss in the Next Ten Days
A plunging oil price gives African central banks more to think about as they move toward a cycle of raising interest rates.

Girls Hold the Key to Zambia’s Future
“I never thought of seeing a lady as an engineer – I thought engineering was just for men. But since I came here I have met women who are accountants, working in construction and even have their own businesses. It is shocking.”