Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: December 7, 2018

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.