Economic opportunity in India is far from equal

As China struggles to reawaken its economy from a Covid slumber, India has been stepping into the spotlight. Although India is coming from a lower overall base, consumption is already a far more significant contributor to national income than is the case in China. Arisaig have been investing in the Indian consumer for more than … Read more

What did you miss in ESG this summer?

With wildfires raging the environment was top of the news agenda over the summer, which also saw high profile criticisms of everyone from asset managers and accountants to the UK prime minister for failings over their green credentials. Here’s ESG Clarity’s essential reading round up of what you may have missed. In June, the launch … Read more

US insurers own over $500bn in fossil fuel assets

With hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida, a report conducted by Persefoni has found that the US insurance sector held $536bn in fossil-fuel related assets in 2019, despite some insurers citing climate-related risk and natural disasters as factors in raising premiums and dropping coverage within certain high-risk regions. Alongside partners ERM and Ceres, Persefoni said … Read more

PGIM launches carbon solutions fund

PGIM has bolstered its equities offering with the launch of a fund to invest in the transition to a low carbon economy. PGIM Jennison Carbon Solutions Equity fund is a sub-fund of the Irish-domiciled Ucits fund umbrella, PGIM Funds plc, and is available to institutional and wholesale investors. The fund, which will be managed by … Read more

GFANZ opens Hong Kong chapter

Hong Kong will host a chapter of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), the world’s largest coalition of financial institutions committed to the goal of net zero by 2050. It will join the Japan chapter as part of the broader GFANZ Asia-Pacific (APAC) network launched in June 2022.   As an extension of GFANZ’s … Read more

GSAM: Where to look for winners in the grey-to-green transition

The competitive nature of the sustainable investment market is forcing investors to spot the green leaders of tomorrow – likely those companies transitioning from ‘grey to green’. Rather than today’s already well-known green leaders, older-line industrial businesses in capital-intensive sectors are more likely to be attractive in the future, according to John Goldstein, global head … Read more

Neuberger Berman launches climate innovation fund

Neuberger Berman has launched a fund to invest in technologies and solutions along the climate technology curve. The Neuberger Berman Climate Innovation fund will maintain 30 to 60 global equity holdings. It will focus on the key enablers and beneficiaries of climate innovation, by combining fundamental analysis with ESG investing. The fund builds on thematic … Read more

Mirabaud partners with VC firm to launch food systems strategy

Mirabaud Asset Management has entered a partnership with Swiss venture capital firm Zebra Impact Ventures with the aim of launching a strategy designed to transform global food systems. Announcing the collaboration, the firms said the Zebra team will bring investment and deal-sourcing credentials to the table alongside practical agricultural knowledge from a global network of … Read more

ESG changed my mind on… mitigation vs adaptation

In this summer series for ESG Clarity, members of the sustainable investment industry tell us how their thinking on this fast-moving industry has adapted over the years and what changes that has led to. Here Victoria Hasler, head of fund research at EQ Investors, discusses how the heatwaves and floods seen around the world recently has caused … Read more

Antitrust and ESG

Since the breakup of AT&T in 1982, antitrust has become an arcane part of market and economic thinking. It resurfaced again in recent years on concerns about the possible monopoly powers of mega capitalisation technology companies.  That issue comes to a head in September when Google faces the Department of Justice Antitrust Division in court … Read more