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Invesco launches sustainable global income fund
Invesco has launched a fund investing in bonds and equities that support the transition to a low carbon economy over the medium term. The Invesco Sustainable Global Income Fund is for income and capital growth and invests in corporate bonds, government bonds and global equities. Portfolio construction is based on identifying key trends in the … Read more
Vanguard gives fund shareholders some proxy-voting power
Vanguard today started giving fund investors some say in proxy voting for shares they own in portfolio companies. The pilot program, announced in November, applies to the firm’s $6.4bn S&P 500 Growth Index Fund, $5.5bn Russell 1000 Index Fund and $5.7bn ESG US Stock ETF. “By participating in this voluntary pilot, investors will be able … Read more
Shell accused of greenwashing by climate group in SEC claim
A climate activist group is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Shell Plc’s claims about its investments in renewable energy are misleading to investors. Global Witness said that it filed a complaint with the SEC’s Climate and ESG Task Force and through the agency’s tips portal over Shell’s statements on renewables. The London-based energy … Read more
When do sustainable fund labels become too prescriptive?
Fund labels for big issues like sustainability make everyone’s life easier, as they save advisers and investors from having to drill down into every fund to find those that meet their preferences. They also help large distributors, such as fund platforms, which may have thousands of funds and want to filter those down to a … Read more
Ethical Futures Q&A part 2: Greenwashing is in the eye of the beholder
Just the existence of a mega-cap business in their portfolio is a greenwashing alarm bell for some clients, says Ethical Futures partner Julian Parrott, and climate crisis has rocketed up clients’ concern list in the last five years. In part 2 of his interview with ESG Clarity, Parrott explains how as a “moral arbiter” he … Read more
Morningstar launches ESG 401(k)
The first all-in-one ESG 401(k) is going live today, a plan catered to small employers with a short list of funds vetted by Morningstar Investment Management. The company, along with Plan Administrators, Inc. (PAi), first announced the plan, known as a Pooled Employer Plan, or PEP, in October 2021. This week’s launch coincides with the … Read more
Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance says no to carbon credits
The $11trn Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance will soon require its members to stop relying on carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, the group announced on Tuesday. As part of its new target protocols, now on their third revision, NZAOA will also ask its 84 participating firms to set targets for private equity investments. … Read more
Article 9 downgrades a result of ‘signing up with no plan’
Thematic ETF provider Rize ETF has hit out at asset managers blaming the lack of clarity from the European Commission on its Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) as a reason for the mass of fund label downgrades seen at the end of last year, saying they should “evolve with the times”. Level 2 of the … Read more
US politicians are running on the anti-ESG agenda
Florida recently formally banned the use of social or responsible considerations in its public investments, and its Republican governor Ron DeSantis proposed anti-ESG legislation to make that permanent. That happened the same day attorney generals from 21 states sent letters to proxy advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis, accusing the firms of violating state laws, … Read more