Prudential has hired Diana Guzman as director of group ESG. Based in Singapore, Guzman will work across the business to deliver on the company’s ESG strategy and commitments, maintain constructive dialogue with key stakeholders, and further embed the company’s ESG strategy for sustainable long-term value. She will succeed Kerry Adams-Strump, who has held the role … Read more
Invesco has added an ESG bond ETF to its corporate bond range to meet investor demand for fixed income ETFs. Invesco Global High Yield Corporate Bond ESG UCITS ETF tracks the Bloomberg MSCI Global High Yield Liquid Corporate ESG Weighted SRI Bond Index and has an annual charge of 0.25%. Bond funds captured nearly 40% … Read more
Asset managers used proxy voting more than ever last year amid increased calls for transparency and a focus on stewardship, a report from ShareAction has found. However, the impact from industry coalitions and large asset managers remains to be seen. The fourth edition of ShareAction’s Voting Matters report analysed how 68 of the world’s largest … Read more
Big investors in meat and dairy companies lack policies and commitments to drive down methane emissions despite global pledges to do so, a Planet Tracker study has found. Hot Money, a report from the financial think tank and the Changing Markets Foundation, analysed 20 investors and 20 banks currently financing the methane-generating activities of 15 … Read more
Almost nine in 10 CEOs around the world think current levels of geopolitical instability will limit delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their concerns come at a time of increased agreement among bosses (98%) that sustainability is core to their role, a sentiment that has grown 15% over the last 10 years. Despite … Read more
Following a decade of remarkable growth in US strategies that integrate ESG criteria into their analysis and portfolio selection, the 2022 US SIF trends report released last month showed a significantly lower number of assets under management. While some may say this data suggests we have reached “peak ESG,” or that this is a rebuke … Read more
In Japan, governance will take centre stage as wages rise and regulatory governance reforms start to come into force. Yu Shimizu, fund manager of the SPARX Japan Sustainable Fund, said megabanks and major property companies have been reviewing their governance systems and strengthening their profit base despite the headwinds of the past 30 years. “Sustainability … Read more
Last year was highly eventful for ESG and the sustainable and responsible investing world. In the US, demand for ESG-themed funds continued to prove strong, despite the undeniable performance advantage of the energy sector in 2022. That short-term returns story gave ammunition to opponents of sustainable investing, with anti-ESG initiatives popping up in numerous states. … Read more
Touchstone Investments is preparing its fifth ETF, a product that would seek to invest in companies benefitting from “a transitioning climate environment”. The company filed an initial prospectus January 5 for the Touchstone Climate Transition ETF. The fund would seek out equity securities that the fund’s subadvisor, Lombard Odier Asset Management, sees as “leading the … Read more
Paul and Emile talk about themes to watch in 2023. Special guest Nell Minow, vice chair at ValueEdge Advisors, gives insight on corporate governance and the current state of ESG and the politics affecting it. Minow, who has a second career in film writing, talks about some of the similarities with governance, and she even … Read more