1: SUSTAINABLE INVESTING ASSETS REACH $17. 1 TRILLION (US SIF Foundation)
Total US-domiciled assets under management using sustainable investing strategies grew
from $12.0 trillion at the start of 2018 to $17.1 trillion at the start of 2020––an increase of 42 percent––according to a biennial “Trends Report” by the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF). The top three issues for money managers and their institutional investor clients: climate
change/carbon emissions, sustainable natural resources/agriculture, and board governance.
2: THE BIDEN ERA COULD BE A BOON TO SUSTAINABLE INVESTING (Barron’s)
Biden has promised ambitious plans for combating climate change and other environmental prerogatives. Experts outline their top seven priorities to strengthen the industry’s ability to move capital into sustainable and socially responsible investments.
3: IMPROVING THE CLIMATE PROFILE OF OUR ESG INDEXES (MSCI Research)
Investors told MSCI ESG Indexes they desired an improved climate profile to help them measure and manage climate risks. As a result, key ESG indexes underwent a significant change on December 1: MSCI SRI Indexes will explicitly exclude fossil-fuel companies, and MSCI ESG Leaders and ESG Focus Indexes will screen out companies involved in thermal coal and unconventional oil and gas activities.
4: GENDER LENS INVESTING (Green Money Journal)
Since gender lens investing emerged a decade ago, a review shows market growth and outperformance compared to traditional asset management. The fast-growing gender lens investing market reached $3.4 billion in 2019.
5: TRANSPARENCY ON DIVERSITY (Olshan Law)
On December 1, Nasdaq filed a proposed rule with the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt new listing rules related to board diversity. If approved by the SEC, the rule would require all companies
listed on Nasdaq’s U.S. exchange to publicly disclose their diversity statistics regarding their board of directors.
