Download or read book Classifying and Measuring the Performance of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds written by Denys Glushkov and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We offer a factor model for classifying socially responsible mutual funds and measuring their performance. Our factor model consists of six factors, the four widely used factors of market, small-large (SMB), value-growth (HML), and momentum, and two social responsibility factors, reflecting the criteria most widely-used by socially responsible funds. The first social responsibility factor is the 'top-bottom' factor (TMB), consisting of the difference between the returns of stocks of companies ranked in the top third and the bottom third by five social responsibility criteria: employee relations, community relations, environmental protection, diversity, and products. The second is the 'accepted-shunned' factor (AMS), consisting of the difference between the returns of stocks of companies commonly accepted by socially responsible investors and the returns of stocks of companies commonly shunned by them. Shunned stocks are stocks of companies in the alcohol, tobacco, gambling, firearms, military, and nuclear industries. We know the coefficient of a factor as its loading, tilt, or beta. We will use the term beta. The betas of the TMB and AMS factors capture well the social responsibility features of indexes and mutual funds, and the TMB and AMS betas of indexes and mutual funds generally reflect the social responsibility scores of the companies whose stocks they contain. Classification of socially responsible mutual funds by betas and contents differs from classification by Morningstar and other classifying services. The measured performance of mutual funds when the TMB and AMS factors are considered differs from their measured performance when these factors are overlooked.
Download or read book Measuring The Financial and Social Performance of French Mutual Funds written by Mohamad Hassan Shahrour and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Socially responsible investors pursue both financial and non-financial goals. In this paper, we attempt to assess the performance of French socially responsible mutual funds (SRMFs). We consider the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, which allows us to assign a unique efficiency score while combining financial and social characteristics, using various combinations within different types of risk (total risk, market risk, and downside risk). We report the list of funds found to be DEA-efficient using various output-oriented models. We also compare our obtained results with the traditional and modern measures used in the literature (Sharpe, Treynor, and the information ratio). We contribute to the literature by testing the validity of the DEA methodology in the financial context. The findings have important implications for fund-selection processes and would be mainly of interest to investors and fund managers who integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into their investment choices.
Download or read book ESG Funds Diversification of Responsible Mutual Funds written by Moritz Ernst and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2023-03-08 with total page 75 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Master's Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: 1,7, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, language: English, abstract: The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. This is frequently quoted from Milton Friedman, who responds with his doctrine to a corporate’s social responsibility towards its shareholders. This former economic approach highlights therewith the entrustment of investments solely for shareholder value maximization and declares a minimum of social responsibility towards the public, the society, and the environment. Based on a traditional background, investors have pursued financial returns as a measure of their investment outcomes. Contrary to earlier deliberations, the mutual fund industry extended an investment typology in the United States (U.S.) in the seventies, which incorporates environmental and social criteria, and later on governance aspects in investment decisions. Successively, investors started to track the supportive and harmful corporate activities on society and environment they had invested in. This new approach called sustainable investing describes mutual funds striving for financial success while honoring the relationship with and the impact on stakeholders. The concept challenges the classical risk-return relationship that either maximizes the expected return for a certain level of risk or minimizes risk for a favored level of expected return. Nowadays, sustainable issues such as global warming and child labor do reject earlier attitudes of investment approaches reflected by the quote of Milton Friedman introducing an alternative view on investment policy. Since stakeholder worldwide are raising concerns about sustainable issues, expectations towards financial markets are increasing addressing these concerns and deliberating on them. The overall perception changes from capital maximization to the idea that the highest use of capital is to make money working beneficial for the betterment of life. Sustainable investing purposes of institutional investors highlight an increasingly stronger commitment towards ESG issues. Collected data from a survey of BNP Paribas (2019) indicate that the share of asset owners and asset managers who invested at least 25% of their funds in ESG funds was equal to 48% and 53%, respectively, in 2017. Two years later, the share of asset owner and asset manager increased considerably to 72% and 62%, respectively, in 2019.
Download or read book Socially Responsible Finance and Investing written by H. Kent Baker and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-10-09 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed look at the role of social responsibility in finance and investing The concept of socially responsible finance and investing continues to grow, especially in the wake of one of the most devastating financial crises in history. This includes responsibility from the corporate side (corporate social responsibility) as well as the investor side (socially responsible investing) of the capital markets. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Socially Responsible Finance and Investing offers an important basis of knowledge regarding both the theory and practice of this ever-evolving area of finance. As part of the Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance, this book showcases contributed chapters from professionals and academics with extensive expertise on this particular subject. It provides a comprehensive view of socially responsible foundations and their applications to finance and investing as determined by the current state of research. Discusses many important issues associated with socially responsible finance and investing, like moral hazard and the concept of "too big to fail" Contains contributed chapters from numerous thought-leaders in the field of finance Presents comprehensive coverage starting with the basics and bringing you through to cutting-edge, current theory and practice Now more than ever, we need to be mindful of the social responsibilities of all investment practices. The recent financial crisis and recession has changed the financial landscape for years to come and Socially Responsible Finance and Investing is a timely guide to help us navigate this difficult terrain.
Download or read book Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Actuarial Sciences and Finance written by Marco Corazza and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interaction between mathematicians, statisticians and econometricians working in actuarial sciences and finance is producing numerous meaningful scientific results. This volume introduces new ideas, in the form of four-page papers, presented at the international conference Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Actuarial Sciences and Finance (MAF), held at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), 4th-6th April 2018. The book covers a wide variety of subjects in actuarial science and financial fields, all discussed in the context of the cooperation between the three quantitative approaches. The topics include: actuarial models; analysis of high frequency financial data; behavioural finance; carbon and green finance; credit risk methods and models; dynamic optimization in finance; financial econometrics; forecasting of dynamical actuarial and financial phenomena; fund performance evaluation; insurance portfolio risk analysis; interest rate models; longevity risk; machine learning and soft-computing in finance; management in insurance business; models and methods for financial time series analysis, models for financial derivatives; multivariate techniques for financial markets analysis; optimization in insurance; pricing; probability in actuarial sciences, insurance and finance; real world finance; risk management; solvency analysis; sovereign risk; static and dynamic portfolio selection and management; trading systems. This book is a valuable resource for academics, PhD students, practitioners, professionals and researchers, and is also of interest to other readers with quantitative background knowledge.
Download or read book ESG Frameworks for Sustainable Business Practices written by Ajithakumari Vijayappan Nair, Biju and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2024-08-14 with total page 519 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As businesses worldwide strive to embrace sustainability in their operations, they often need help with a significant challenge: the inadequacy of traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices in meeting modern sustainability needs. Despite increasing regulatory pressure and societal expectations, many organizations need help implementing effective Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies aligning with their core business goals. This gap between intent and implementation highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive and practical guide to navigating the complexities of sustainable business practices. ESG Frameworks for Sustainable Business Practices solve this pressing challenge by offering a systematic and insightful analysis of global ESG frameworks. Synthesizing current research and industry best practices provides a clear roadmap for organizations looking to integrate sustainability into their core strategies. Through an in-depth exploration of topics such as ESG disclosure, sustainable investments, and the role of regulations in ESG practices, this book equips readers with the knowledge and tools needed to drive meaningful change within their organizations.
Download or read book Sustainable Investing written by H. Kent Baker and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Can investors do well financially and do good for the world? Should they try? Many assume that investors "don't care who wins" as long as they are making money. For some investors, this mindset still rings true. Yet, many other investors challenge this stereotype and prefer to "make money mean more." Thus, they have dual goals: making money and doing good. This viewpoint, called sustainable investing, has gained considerable momentum in the last few decades. Sustainable investing delivers value by balancing traditional investing with environmental, social, and governance-related (ESG) insights to improve long-term outcomes. Some view sustainable investing as critical to the sustainability of investing. The book aims to demystify sustainable investing for "average" investors. It uses a question-and-answer format to examine whether such investments have a place in investor portfolios. Each chapter also contains insightful and amusing quotes by investment professionals and others. The book includes six chapters. Chapter 1 examines the changing investment landscape. Chapter 2 explores corporate social responsibility and the evolving responsibilities and obligations of a business. Chapter 3 focuses on the roles of social and religious values in shaping sustainable investing. Chapter 4 discusses the many investment options available to sustainable investors, such as stock, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. Chapter 5 reviews the performance implications of sustainable investing. This research-oriented chapter investigates the intriguing question, "Can sustainable investors have their cake and eat it too?" Finally, Chapter 6 ends by focusing on building a portfolio with a purpose"--
Download or read book Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing written by Larry E. Swedroe and published by Harriman House Limited. This book was released on 2022-04-05 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable investing is booming. The investment industry is fast approaching a point where one-third of global assets under management are invested with a sustainable objective. But do sustainable investment products do what investors expect them to do? How can an investor tell if their investments are having the social impact they want? Does that impact come at a financial cost? And how can investors weave their way through the web of confusing acronyms, conflicting agency ratings, and the mass of fund offerings, confident that they can recognize and avoid corporate greenwashing? Larry Swedroe and Sam Adams cut through the fog and bring clarity on all of this and more—providing investors with a firm plan for truly sustainable investing. The authors first define sustainable investing, illuminating the differences between ESG, SRI and impact investing, and reveal who is currently investing sustainably and why. They then move on to a comprehensive review of the academic research. What does the data really say about risk and return in sustainable investing? What performance can you genuinely expect from sustainable investments? And how are today’s sustainable investors using their influence to drive positive changes for society and the environment? Finally, this book arms you with a practical guide to investing sustainably, including how to effectively choose your asset allocation strategy, and select the managers and funds through which your money can create the change you want to see in the world. Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing is the definitive go-to resource that investors have been waiting for.
Download or read book Measuring the Performance of Ethical Mutual Funds written by Antonella Basso and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ethical constraints forced on an investment fund satisfy the fulfilment of humanitarian aims but may lower the investment profitability. Hence, when we measure the performance of ethical mutual funds we cannot disregard the ethical component. In this contribution we propose a performance indicator which considers the expected return, the investment risk, the ethical component and the subscription and redemption costs together. The performance measure proposed is obtained using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, which allows to measure the relative efficiency of decision making units in presence of a multiple input-multiple output structure. The DEA performance indicator for ethical funds can be computed with different models, according to the nature of the ethical indicator which characterizes the socially responsible funds. In particular, a DEA model with exogenously fixed output variables and a categorical variable model seem appropriate.
Download or read book Smart er Investing written by Elisabetta Basilico and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-12-11 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book identifies and discusses the most successful investing practices with an emphasis on the academic articles that produced them and why this research led to popular adoption and growth in $AUM. Investors are bombarded with ideas and prescriptions for successful investing every day. Given the steady stream of information on stock tips, sector timing, asset allocation, etc., how do investors decide? How do they judge the quality and reliability of the investment advice they are given on a day-to-day basis? This book identifies which academic articles turned investment ideas were the most innovative and influential in the practice of investment management. Each article is discussed in terms of the asset management process: strategy, portfolio construction, portfolio implementation, and risk management. Some examples of topics covered are factor investing, the extreme growth of trading instruments like Exchange Traded Funds, multi-asset investing, socially responsible investing, big data, and artificial intelligence. This book analyzes a curated selection of peer-reviewed academic articles identified among those published by the scientific investment community. The book briefly describes each of the articles, how and why each one changed the way we think about investing in that specific asset class, and provides insights as to the nuts and bolts of how to take full advantage of this successful investment idea. It is as timely as it is informative and will help each investor to focus on the most successful strategies, ideas, and implementation that provide the basis for the efficient accumulation and management of wealth.
Download or read book Sustainable Investing written by Adam Marszk and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-01-10 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Investing: Socio-Economic Impacts of Exchange-Traded Funds examines the social and economic effects of sustainable investing ETFs and their impacts on the global financial system. The book presents the key issues with regard to sustainable investing, discussing exchange-traded funds mechanisms and categories in comparison to competing investment funds. The book outlines the theoretical determinants of ETF markets development and the effects of their diffusion, both at the investor and firm levels, as well as financial system, entire economy, and society levels. The book presents various possible implementations of sustainable investing, and covers the methodological aspects of their identification and categorization. Hybrid investment products—such as exchange-traded funds that combine the investment features of mutual funds with the trading features of stocks—are one of the most rapidly growing categories of investment funds with their total global value reaching almost $5 trillion. The book examines the linkages between ETFs and the FinTech sector in the context of sustainable development, as well as global sustainable development policies in relation to their effects on the popularity of sustainable investing. The book concludes with a discussion of the significance for other entities that may be affected, such as policy makers and recipients of funds invested through sustainable investment strategies. Includes case studies comparing the sustainable investment landscapes in Europe, United States, and Asia Pacific Features numerous richly illustrated charts and diagrams Offers both theoretical and empirical insights Reviews key academic and professional literature
Download or read book Socially Responsible Investing a Literature Review of the Performance of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds written by Issam Robin Iskandarani and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Socially Responsible Investment in a Global Environment written by Hung-Gay Fung and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors have done an excellent job explaining the development and practice of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). Under the recent recognition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia and its strong emphasis by US and European corporations, this book provides important guidance to students and professionals who are interested in the effects and implications of SRI. This book is truly informative and should be on the reading list of all fund managers and CFOs of international corporations which are serious about CSR. Louis T.W. Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Individual investors and corporate heads have the responsibility to keep abreast of major changes in the marketplace. Socially responsible investment is one of those changes. Fung, Law and Yau provide, in a single source, a great opportunity to get up to date on an area that will be a force for years to come. I encourage any thoughtful investor or manager to read this book. Thomas Schneeweis, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US Socially responsible investment (SRI) is becoming increasingly popular and can be potentially rewarding to all parties concerned. This book discusses the opportunities, challenges, and practices of SRI in a global financial environment in a consistent and integrated framework of risk management. It also covers a wide variety of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues related to various participants, such as values-based retail, institutional investors, corporations, banks, supranational agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Readers are provided with the perspectives of SRI from various players in the financial community from values-based investors to fiduciaries to supranational agencies. The authors analyse the incorporation of ESG issues into investment practices within a regulatory, legal, reputational, and operational risk management framework. Academics, corporate executives, government regulators and policymakers, bankers, and non-governmental organizations involved with sustainable development will find much of interest in this book.
Download or read book Beyond Dichotomy written by Michael L. Barnett and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A central and contentious debate in many literatures concerns the relationship between financial and social performance. We advance this debate by measuring the financial-social performance link within mutual funds that practice socially responsible investing (SRI). SRI fund managers have an array of social screening strategies from which to choose. Prior studies have not addressed this heterogeneity within SRI funds. Combining modern portfolio and stakeholder theories, we hypothesize that the financial loss borne by an SRI fund due to poor diversification is offset as social screening intensifies because better managed and more stable firms are selected into its portfolio. We find support for this hypothesis through an empirical test on a panel of 61 SRI funds from 1972-2000. The results show that as the number of social screens used by an SRI fund increases, financial returns decline at first, but then rebound as the number of screens reaches a maximum. That is, we find a curvilinear relationship, suggesting that two long-competing viewpoints may be complementary. Furthermore, we find that financial performance varies with the types of social screens used. Community relations screening increased financial performance, but environmental and labor relations screening decreased financial performance. Based on our results, we suggest that literatures addressing the link between financial and social performance move toward in-depth examination of the merits of different social screening strategies, and away from the continuing debate on the financial merits of either being socially responsible or not.
Download or read book Perspectives in Sustainable Equity Investing written by Guillaume Coqueret and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2022-03-08 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable investing has recently gained traction throughout the world. This trend has multiple sources, which span from genuine ethical concerns to hopes of performance boosting, and also encompass risk mitigation. The resulting appetite for green assets is impacting the decisions of many investors. Perspectives in Sustainable Equity Investing is an up-to-date review of the academic literature on sustainable equity investing. It covers more than 800 academic sources grouped into six thematic chapters. Designed for corporate sustainability and financial management professionals, this is an ideal reference for ESG-driven financiers (both retail and institutional). Students majoring in finance or economics with some background or interest in ESG concerns would also find this compact overview useful. Key Features: Introduces the reader to terms and nomenclature used in the field. Surveys the link between sustainability and performance (including risk). Details the integration of sustainable criteria in complex portfolio optimization. Reviews the financial liabilities induced by climate change.
Download or read book The SRI Advantage written by and published by New Society Pub. This book was released on 2002 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Socially responsible investing (SRI) is investing that is mindful of the impact on society of that investment. It is often described to investors as allowing them "to do well by doing good." SRI usually describes investments that screen out companies that violate environmental or other laws, use child labor or sweatshops, discriminate in hiring, or-in general-produce products detrimental to society or engage in practices deemed reprehensible by most people. Although many people want to invest in socially responsible ways, until recently most investors believed that they had to give up some measure of performance to do so. The SRI Advantage demonstrates why this is emphatically not the case. It presents overwhelming evidence that SRI has outperformed financially, explains in detail why SRI outperforms, and then examines the im-plications for investment professionals, investors, pension funds, and community/nonprofit groups. Authored by Peter Camejo-the chair of an SRI investment fund-in collaboration with more than a dozen other SRI professionals, "The SRI Advantage "includes chapters on: Pension funds and fiduciary responsibility The energy industry and SRI SRI mutual fund performance The international dimension of SRI Community investing strategies Foundations and mission-related investing Prefaced by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, and introduced by Republican corporate accountability advocate Robert A. Monks, "The SRI Advantage "will be of special interest to investment advisors and financial planners, private investors, the nonprofit sector, brokers, mutual fund managers, and-especially given the Enron scandal-pension fund trustees and staff. Peter Camejo has 17 years of experience as an investment adviser, specializing in socially responsible investing. He founded the California-focused Council for Responsible Public Investment, created the Eco-Logical Trust for Merrill Lynch-the first environmentally screened fund for a major firm, and a top performer-and is chair of an asset management company.
Download or read book Socially Responsible Investment ECG Factors written by Julian Popov and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2018-02-20 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Akademische Arbeit aus dem Jahr 2017 im Fachbereich BWL - Bank, Börse, Versicherung, Note: 1.0, Henley Business School University of Reading, Veranstaltung: Topics in Finance, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Investors talk about increasing profits, minimising transaction costs or how to evade taxes most effectively, but very few investors consider if the company contributes something to society, treats employees with respect or tries to reduce harm to environment; in fact - they do not invest socially responsible. But what is socially responsible and how can firms be obtained which make the grade? This essay provides a short overview about the history of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and its terminology. Furthermore, different investment strategies are explained in order to understand the depth and the variety of possibilities using these strategies. Knowing these facts, the main reason for investors to invest lies within the nature of things: the return. Every good intention will be flood by the opposite, if the good intention does not perform well and the sinner stocks achieve excess returns. The overall opinion about SRI and the most common theory is that the SRI approach is underperforming the market, as the investor is restricted in stock selection, which decreases the possible level of diversification eventually leading to a lower risk-return level. But do SRI portfolios underperform the market, respectively the "Sin Stocks"? Moreover, this paper tries to use statistical approaches to approve or disapprove the abovementioned theory. By regressing the returns of the biggest social index, the KLD 400, against the returns of the S&P500 and the biggest Sin Stocks Fund, called VICEX, an informed choice will be possible. Furthermore, the investment approaches will be analysed in the overall context of their long-term performance and possible explanations for under- and overperformance. In addition, this essays appendix provides an approach of investing, fulfilling the criteria of SRI and the ESGs, which stands for environmental, social and corporate governance criteria. This project deals with the increasing amount of refugees coming to Germany and the consequent lack of real estate supply. This lack of supply causes difficulties regarding the integration process, which will eventually lead to a separation of the community and increasing appeal of right wing populists.
