Impact Investing & ESG
BlackRock’s Message: Contribute to Society, or Risk Losing Our Support
On Tuesday, the chief executives of the world’s largest public companies will be receiving a letter from one of the most influential investors in the world. And what it says is likely to cause a firestorm in the corner offices of companies everywhere and a debate over social responsibility that stretches from Wall Street to Washington.
The Lasting Impacts: The Need for Responsible Exits
Lasting Impact: The Need for Responsible Exits demonstrates why and how investors attempt to safeguard the continuity of their investments’ impact beyond exit.
Everyone’s Winner? How ‘Impact Investing’ Can Make Money – and Do Good
Rural families in Africa who need access to power and investors seeking a decent return on their money are getting together so everyone prospers. The cherry on the cake? It’s good for the environment too.
Global Goals, Country Plans: How Achim Steiner is Making SDGs Investable
UNDP Chief says there are “enormous mountains of cash” available for Sustainable Development Goals.
A New Impact Investing Model for Education
On the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, Sri Vidya Bharathi Matriculation School is part of a new wave of mom-and-pop, low-fee private schools that now serve roughly 30 percent of India’s 300 million school-age children.
United States & Europe
Apple Accelerates US Investment and Job Creation
Apple announced that it will contribute $350 billion to the US Economy, create 20,000 new jobs, and invest $5 billion in advanced manufacturing funds over the next five years.
Developing Economies
2018 African Economic Outlook Shows Economies Resilient to Negative Shocks
Launching the 2018 African Economic Outlook on Wednesday, the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, made a compelling case for accelerating Africa’s industrialization in order to create jobs, reduce poverty and promote inclusive economic growth.
AfDB Projects Ghana Economic Growth at 8.5% in 2018
A number of projections of economic growth for Ghana in 2018 have all suggested growth above 8 per cent following a 3.5 per cent growth in 2016, which was also the lowest in about two decades.
Global Markets – Asia Shares Hit Historic Highs, Dollar Slips Anew
Asian shares hit historic highs on Monday after Wall Street extended its record-breaking run, while the U.S. dollar retreat continued as investors priced in the risk of tighter policies elsewhere in the developed world.
China is to become the world’s offshore wind leader by 2022.
Indonesia Wants to Lure More Foreign Banks to Its Financial Institutions
Banks from countries including China are looking to follow the example of Japan’s largest lender and buy stakes in Indonesian financial institutions.
Update – Argentina Fiscal Deficit Falls to 3.9 Percent of GDP of 2017
Argentina posted a primary fiscal deficit worth 3.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017, below its 4.2 percent goal and the 4.6 percent figure posted in 2016.
Brazil Economic Activity Expands for Third Month in November
Economic activity in Brazil expanded for a third straight month in November, the longest stretch of gains since 2014, suggesting strong momentum at the end of the year.
World Bank Projects Colombian GDP to Grow by 2.9% in 2018
Colombian GDP will grow by 2.9% in 2018, according to a new projection from the World Bank. While this is an improvement from the 1.8% estimated economic growth of 2017, it is a decrease from the 3.1% rate for 2018 that the global financial organization had projected for Colombia last June in a prior forecast.