Weekly Impact Investment Market Update: February 2, 2018

Impact Investing & ESG
 

Why It’s Time to Align Retirement Funds with Sustainability Goals

A new wave of environmentally focused retirement funds aims to advance corporate sustainability goals while enabling employees to save for their own financial future.

Sustainable Funds U.S. Landscape Report

Sustainable investing has gained considerable traction over the past several years. Yet, these funds can be difficult to identify and analyze because they take varying approaches and don’t represent a single asset class or investment style. This report clarifies the choices of sustainable funds available in the U.S. as of the end of 2017.

MSCI: How Does ESG Impact the Performance of Companies?

MSCI has published new research highlighting how ESG characteristics affect corporations’ valuations and risk profiles.

The Success of ESG Depends on Transformative Approaches

Corporate-NGO partnerships absolutely hold potential for positive change from an environmental, social and potentially governance perspective.

Dutch Pension Fund Moves from Impact Alignment to Impact Management

PGGM takes stock of what and how much impact its investments have, but on who remains a mystery.

Four Ways to Get the Private Sector to Start Paying Attention to the Global Goals

Public and philanthropic funders can get smart on mandates, responsibilities and regulations driving private investments.

Yahoo Finance Expands Offering as Only Free Provider of Sustainability Scores, across Desktop and Mobile Web

Starting today, conscientious investors will be able to track the ESG scores of more than 2,000 publicly traded companies, only on Yahoo Finance.

Sexual Harassment Screens Making It into ETF ESG World

Impact Shares, a not-for-profit startup that partners with leading charitable organizations, is launching the first ETF focused on women empowerment that will screen for sexual harassment.

Is the Social Impact Bond Market Half-Billion Full or Empty?
An update on the more than 100 social impact bonds launched to date.

Investors Wake Up to a $2.3 Trillion Opportunity in Sustainable Food and Agriculture

For example, food corporations Cargill, Tyson Foods, PHW, and even fast-food chain McDonald’s, are investing in alternative proteins.

 

United States & Europe
 

Every One of the World’s Big Economies is Now Growing

A decade after the world descended into a devastating economic crisis, a key marker of revival has finally been achieved. Every major economy on earth is expanding at once, a synchronous wave of growth that is creating jobs, lifting fortunes and tempering fears of popular discontent.

U.S. Economy Creates 200,000 Jobs in January; Wages Take Off

Wage gains unexpectedly accelerated last month to the fastest pace in more than eight years, signaling that average workers’ pay may finally be breaking out of a long period of weakness, according to a report Friday that also showed hiring continued at a solid pace.

Europe’s Economy Grew Faster Than the U.S. Last Year

Sure, the United States is growing at a nice clip. But Europe’s economy is expanding at an even faster rate.

 

Developing Economies
 

Emerging Market Inflows at 7-Month High of $30 Billion in January

Foreign investors poured $30 billion into emerging markets in January, a seven-month high and the best start to a year since 2015, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

Emerging Markets Offer Attractive Investment Opportunities in 2018

Emerging Markets continue to offer attractive investment opportunities even after the strong performance seen in 2017.

WhatsApp-ening with Forests and Climate in Togo?

After years of working in environmental protection in Togo, Brigitte Acakpo-Addra identified a problem in need of an innovative solution.

Asia’s Central Banks Should Prepare to Raise Interest Rates

Financial markets around Asia are preparing for a Goldilocks economy in 2018 — not too hot, not too cold, with strong growth and stable prices.

How Southeast Asian Countries Compare on Growth and Development

A new World Economic Forum development index shows that countries can be measured on a range of factors, including healthy life expectancy, GDP per capita and distribution of wealth

The Energy Solution Latin America Needs

One of the sunniest places on earth, Chile’s Atacama Desert, has the highest solar irradiance in the world — and the potential to generate enough electricity to power all of South America.