Sustainability

With economies around the world all seeking to decarbonise, business has a critical role to play in the race to meeting Net Zero commitments. The corporate sector leads the energy transition in which many have treated it as a business opportunity to move to net zero by innovating. The not quite net zeros are using…

“We have seen a monumental shift in the way consumers act in recent years” explained Emilie O’Neill of Perennial Better Future when discussing the key factors set to drive returns in sustainability-focused businesses for decades to come. On a recently released podcast, the dedicated ESG unit within Perennial flagged policy changes, cost of capital, technology…

It appears that regulators around the world are getting more serious on ESG, with the US Securities Exchange Commission, similar to Australia’s ASIC, announcing a number of proposals targeted at the growing trend of ‘greenwashing’. The change of Federal Government and clear sentiment from the voting public that more action is required on climate change…

The VIX Volatility Index or Fear Index hit a 52-week high of 38.94 last week after $65bn was wiped off the Australian share market. To put that in context, the VIX index rose to 65pts when Covid-19 first hit and peaked at 80 at the start of the GFC. While the VIX index has broken…

With the pandemic in the rear-vision mirror and reporting season over, the crisis in Ukraine has become an ongoing market concern that is creating uncertainty in an already volatile environment. According to Schroders’ head of Australian equities, Martin Conlon, there is light at the end of the tunnel. He says the impact of the conflict…

As chief investment officer of Munro Partners, a global growth equity strategy that seeks to be THE global growth fund for Australian investors, Nick Griffin has been among the most successful at identifying and leveraging the most powerful economic and societal themes in recent decades. Whether it was the days explaining how a little-known online…

With climate change front and centre of every investor’s mind, most people think of renewable energy or clean energy production as being primarily solar panels or wind turbines. Often many of the more effective and efficient renewable energy production processes are left out, such as hydro-electricity. Nuclear power is almost always omitted from the “clean…

Sentient Investment Group, spun-out of Impact Investment Group this week, and backed by leading Australian responsible investment firm Australian Ethical, is making major investments in the fast-growing renewable and green energy sectors. Overseen by former NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn and run by Oliver Yates, the group manages a diversified renewable energy strategy and has recently…

China is far and away the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitter, accounting for close to 30% of global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) – double the 15% for the US and 9% for the European Union. Robeco’s Jie Lu has released a detailed research report which takes a thorough look at…

Melbourne-based global equity manager, Bell Asset Management, best known for its small and mid-cap equity strategies, has a launched a new ‘sustainable’ equity strategy. The Bell Global Sustainable Fund will add to the firm’s growing suite of products and offer another option for diversification, as a number of leading equity managers continue to underperform. With…

Australian Ethical’s Master Class session, hosted by The Inside Network, was titled “Investing for a better world.” It brought together external industry influencers to discuss how technologies will shape and dominate the next few years, with a particular focus on blockchain and recycling products. It was a practical panel session to give investors a real…

As covered in Ishan Dan’s article here, the Responsible Investment Association of Australia (RIAA)recently released their Benchmark Report for 2021. It is somewhat of a temperature check on the investment management industry with the RIAA increasingly standing out as the leader in responsible investment accreditation and assessment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics some…