Establishing objective criteria for what constitutes a sustainable investment should involve flexibility and steer clear of overly burdensome rules, said panelists on at the SIFMA Annual Meeting.
OneAmerica has responded to growing demand for environmental, social and governance investments by adding 12 products complying with ESG criteria to its group annuity platform. The offerings were brought onto the platform in the second and third quarters of 2019.
Total body weight loss for patients who had endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty was 20.6% at 12 months, compared with 14.3% for those who had a high-intensity diet and lifestyle therapy, researchers reported in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Researchers said patients who had a body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or lower to begin with had a greater percentage of total weight loss than those in the HIDLT group who had the same BMI.
Nuveen has brought to NYSE Arca an exchange-traded fund that buys high-yield bonds issued by companies that comply with environmental, social and governance criteria. The Nuveen ESG High Yield Corporate Bond ETF tracks an index created by screening companies in the Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index for ESG factors.
Intercontinental Exchange plans to launch environmental, social and governance futures contracts on Nov. 4, making it the first major US exchange to offer ESG derivatives. The contracts will include futures on five MSCI indexes.
Environmental, social and governance practices have become keys to growth plans for businesses of all sizes. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is providing guidance in the area with its new article: "ESG: Impact on Companies Doing Business in America and Why They Must Care." Trust, loyalty, risk avoidance and acting in the interest of shareholders are all best practices.
Some US and European fund managers have moved into sustainable fixed income investing to factor environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decisions. This article describes three stages of engagement with the ESG space. Check out this sustainable investing series on the AICPA PFP Section podcast channel.
US fund managers that have promoted environmental and social goverance have often sided with a company's management and against shareholder ESG proposals, according to voting records.
Keen to place an emphasis on environmental, social and governance, some investors are starting to turn their attention to the collateralized loan obligation market. Some companies are also putting ESG criteria into their loan documentation.
