Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: August 24, 2018

Impact Investing & ESG

Impact Investing Market Map
The PRI launched the Impact Investing Market Map to bring more clarity to the process of identifying mainstream impact investing companies and thematic investments so that asset owners and fund managers can better assess opportunities in this market.

Should Impact Investors Aim for Market Returns?
Fund houses are increasingly launching impact products to rival mainstream alternatives

American Century Investments Research Shows the Appeal of ‘Impact Investing’ Growing, with Millennials Taking the Lead
“Impact investing”–financial investments designed to generate a measurable, positive impact on society, while also providing potential returns–is growing in popularity.

Why ‘Good Guy’ Stocks Can Help You Beat the Market
Today there’s a growing body of evidence showing that companies that put social responsibility first can also finish first in the market. The question is no longer whether you can do well while doing good, but how best to distinguish the do-gooders.

 

United States & Europe

Powell Signals More Hikes Ahead if US Economy Stays Strong
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled Friday that he expects the Fed to continue gradually raising interest rates if the U.S. economic expansion remains strong.

 

Developing Economies

Rural Areas and Small Cities Hold the Key to Economic Growth
According to the State of Food and Agriculture report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are transforming rural communities and promoting agriculture.

Nigeria’s Central Bank to Stimulate Lending, Buy Corporate Bonds to Boost Growth
Nigeria’s central bank plans to stimulate lending to manufacturers and invest in corporate bonds to revive the economy ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Southeast Asia Deploys Stimulus to Maintain 5% in 2Q
Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia try to fend off impact of trade war.

Chile Economy Posts Biggest Jump in Growth in Six Years
Chile’s gross domestic product grew 5.3 percent in the second-quarter of 2018 compared with a year earlier, its biggest jump in nearly six years, the central bank said.