Message to ESG Investors: Hold Steady

As the market enters bear country, many sustainable fund investors are bearing the brunt of this downturn. But at Morningstar, Jon Hale, director of sustainability research for the Americas at Sustainalytics, notes that investors should stay the course with sustainable investing.

ETF Trends • May 11, 2022

ESG Funds Rake in Capital — But for How Long?

Investors continue to pump money into ESG-themed funds even after the market faced its worst slump since 1970. Bloomberg is reporting that investors last week put more than $1.2 billion into ESG-focused ETFs.

ETF Trends • May 5, 2022

Become a More Climate-Conscious Investor on Earth Day

Since today is Earth Day, now may be the perfect time for investors to look at the core holdings in their portfolios and ensure that they're being managed with an awareness of climate risk. At Morningstar, Jon Hale, director of sustainability research for the Americas at Sustainalytics, offers investors some ways to become more climate-conscious [.

ETF Trends • Apr 22, 2022

Global Regulators Push Banks to Disclose Carbon Emissions

Global regulators are pushing for banks and institutional investors to disclose carbon emissions linked to their loans and investments. On Thursday, the International Sustainability Standards Board published a draft of its proposed standards, which provide a yardstick for regulators around the globe to use for imposing standardized disclosure rules on companies.

ETF Trends • Apr 1, 2022

Play Emerging Markets Sustainability Trends With This ETF

While there's still much work to be done, some developing economies are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and carbon reduction efforts. That's a long-ranging trend that could result in trillions of dollars of capital commitments, perhaps indicating compelling trajectories for exchange traded funds like the SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETF (EEMX).

ETF Trends • Mar 22, 2022

SSGA: Investors Should Use Optimization When Constructing Reduced-Carbon Portfolios

More investors are constructing portfolios with environmental, social, and governance principles in mind. This includes explicit carbon-reduction targets, temperature alignment goals, and climate objectives such as mitigation and adaption.

ETF Trends • Mar 14, 2022

ESG in a Time of War

The effects of the Russia-Ukraine war have been far-reaching and devastating. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO countries have been placing sanctions on Russia, companies have stopped doing business in the country, and index providers such as MSCI and FTSE Russell have delisted Russian securities from their indexes, making the region essentially uninvestable.

ETF Trends • Mar 10, 2022

World Leaders Endorse Resolution to End Plastic Pollution

World leaders on Wednesday endorsed a resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi to end plastic pollution and create an international legally binding agreement by 2024. The resolution, titled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument,” was adopted at the conclusion of the three-day UNEA-5.2 meeting and addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, [.

ETF Trends • Mar 4, 2022

Harnessing Growth: India's Transition Reflected In Sustainability Commitment

In this research piece, we discuss the possible pathway to India's environmental goals, as well as select investment opportunities that reflect ongoing progress across the ESG landscape. India fares well in disclosures with 97% of MSCI India constituents publishing sustainability reports.

Seeking Alpha • Nov 20, 2021

Russia's Economy Endangered by Melting Permafrost From Climate Change

Russian government research and scientists have analyzed the recent melting occurring of the permafrost across much of Russia and have attributed it to climate change, reports the Wall Street Journal. The land, once thought to be permanently frozen, is having catastrophic effects on infrastructure, including vital gas and oil supply lines.

ETF Trends • Oct 7, 2021