Download or read book The Effect on Portfolio Performance of Diversification Into Socially Responsible Investments written by Siew Howe Wong and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract : Socially responsible investment (SRI) has grown significantly in the last ten years. Many international organizations have become increasingly involved in the movement towards SRI. The move towards SRI investing is being driven by institutions such as the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing whose membership of financial institutions, including asset owners and institutional investors, holds assets totalling US$13 trillion. This growth was promoted further by the 2006 launch of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), with an agreement by leading pension funds, asset managers and consultants to develop new strategies to embed environmental, social and governance issues (ESG-issues). The tremendous growth has caught the attention of investors and fund managers that are seeking alternative assets and markets to improve their portfolio performance. There are claims, based on recent evidence, that SRI can provide investors{u2019} portfolios with better returns. The thesis aims to investigate this claim. The thesis examines the effect of diversifying into SRI in terms of risks and returns from the perspective of an Australian investor, on the performance of a portfolio consisting of stocks and bonds. In examining this aim, the thesis first identifies and evaluates the performance of the optimal SRI portfolio which consists of Australian and international SRI assets. Subsequently, the thesis constructs an optimal portfolio consisting of stocks, bonds and SRI based on the identified SRI portfolio, whose performance is then examined. In pursuit of the objective, the thesis conducts three interconnected studies. Firstly, an analysis of the inter-linkages between the Australian and other SRI markets worldwide. Secondly, an examination of the impact of international diversification on the performance of SRI portfolios based on an Australian perspective. Thirdly, an investigation of the impact of diversification into SRI assets on the performance of a portfolio of stocks and bonds.

Download or read book Investing for Change written by Augustin Landier and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2009 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text shows that citizens can change the globalized world in the direction of many common values by being a socially conscious investor. The authors argue that in fact globalization is helping create a shared concern for many issues around the planet.

Download or read book Evolutions in Sustainable Investing written by Cary Krosinsky and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-12-27 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Investing is fast becoming an essential method of generating long-term returns, moving beyond the negative approaches to socially responsible investing that have dominated the field. This book, our second on the subject, provides over 15 case studies of leading global investors and companies demonstrating how they successfully apply sustainability aspects to their core strategies. Learn from prominent thought leaders Dan Esty and Paul Hawken among others who have contributed key chapters. Our chapter on performance shows clearly how these strategies have been working once negative approaches are parsed out by those examining fund returns. This book also examines in great depth what data exists, and what's on the horizon, to best measure & capture sustainability successfully. Regional perspectives, including 3 chapters on Asia, and focuses on Canada, Australia, Africa & India are also included, as is a look across asset classes. Sustainable Investing, when performed with a positive perspective, has been outperforming the mainstream, unlike negative approaches designed to match benchmark returns. From eco-efficiency to sustainability-driven innovation and beyond, investors of all shapes & sizes need to know how best to position themselves for the radical market shifts underway.

Download or read book The Effect of Socially Responsible Investing on Portfolio Performance written by Alexander Kempf and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More and more investors apply socially responsible screens when building their stock portfolios. This raises the question whether these investors can increase their performance by incorporating such screens into their investment process. To answer this question we implement a simple trading strategy based on socially responsible ratings from the KLD Research & Analytics: Buy stocks with high socially responsible ratings and sell stocks with low socially responsible ratings. We find that this strategy leads to high abnormal returns of up to 8.7% per year. The maximum abnormal returns are reached when investors employ the best-in-class screening approach, use a combination of several socially responsible screens at the same time, and restrict themselves to stocks with extreme socially responsible ratings. The abnormal returns remain significant even after taking into account reasonable transaction costs. -- Socially Responsible Investing ; Portfolio Management ; Trading Strategy

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.

Download or read book Socially Responsible Investing and Portfolio Diversification written by Zakri Y. Bello and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I use a sample of socially responsible stock mutual funds matched to randomly selected conventional funds of similar net assets to investigate differences in characteristics of assets held, portfolio diversification, and variable effects of diversification on investment performance. I find that socially responsible funds do not differ significantly from conventional funds in terms of any of these attributes. Moreover, the effect of diversification on investment performance is not different between the two groups. Both groups underperform the Domini 400 Social Index and Samp;P 500 during the study period.

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 Socially Responsible Investments written by Mario La Torre and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-27 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Palgrave Pivot aims to build a bridge between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable finance in financial markets. It investigates classic CSR topics in the light of a modern conception of sustainability. The first part emphasizes four relevant topics in the CSR panorama of financial institutions: banks remuneration practices; human capital disclosure; the impact of environmental performance on banks, and finally, the institutional investors’ attitude towards socially responsible investments (SRIs). The second part explores CSR practices within the financial markets and discusses risk-return profiles of SRI and non-SRI indexes in different time frames. It investigates whether thematic social responsible funds obtain different risk-return than traditional funds, and finally, assesses whether equity crowdfunding could foster social innovation. This book is aimed at scholars and students who are interested in social impact investing and practitioners involved in the social impact market.

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 Measuring the Under Diversification of Socially Responsible Investments written by Fabio Pizzutilo and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This article proposes a straightforward measure of the residual unsystematic risk that a selective portfolio investment strategy, such as socially responsible investment, eventually bears. The model is empirically employed in order to analyse whether the MSCI socially responsible indices bear significant levels of volatility that could be diversified by not imposing social screenings to the set of eligible investments. The study finds that a low but not negligible part of the volatility of the returns could be diversified by not restricting the investment to socially responsible companies. Implications for the socially responsible investing industry and socially responsible investors are discussed.

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 The Effect of a Switch to Socially Responsible Investment on Portfolio Performance written by Grieg A. Mill and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Evolution of Sustainable Investments and Finance written by Francesco Gangi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-03-19 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last decade, socially responsible investments (SRIs) have become paramount to both professionals and academics. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-8, practitioners have become much more involved in new financial models that integrate returns and positive social and environmental impacts. The authors argue that previous irresponsible financial models are anachronistic, and propose a new relationship between stakeholder and shareholder. Starting from the mainstreaming of SRI, this book recovers the social function of banks and the innovative role of crowdfunding and venture capital models. The book offers a unified perspective for firm and funder, making it a timely and invaluable read for scholars and practitioners interested in sustainable development and social impact finance.

Download or read book Compelling Returns written by Scott J. Budde and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-09-09 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Achieve competitive financial returns and make a difference at the same time by applying the information in Compelling Returns: A Practical Guide to Socially Responsible Investing, a well-rounded guide to socially responsible investing (SRI). Understand the basics of SRI and discover how you can align your values with your investments by choosing from three basic strategies. Learn to implement these strategies in your investment portfolios and combine your newfound knowledge with the basic principles of successful investing. An up-to-date directory of companies involved with SRI is included.

Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of Responsible Investment written by Tessa Hebb and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-11 with total page 764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment initiative has led to around a third of the world’s financial assets being managed with a commitment to invest in a way that considers environmental, social or governance (ESG) criteria. The responsible investment trend has increased dramatically since the global financial crisis, yet understanding of this field remains at an early stage. This handbook provides an atlas of current practice in the field of responsible investment. With a large global team of expert contributors, the book explores the impact of responsible investment on key financial actors ranging from mainstream asset managers to religious organizations. Offering students and researchers a comprehensive introduction to current scholarship and international structures in the expanding discipline of responsible investment, this handbook is vital reading across the fields of finance, economics and accounting.

Download or read book Impact Investing The Future of Investing written by Max Luca Wiegand and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2017-12-07 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 1,0, , language: English, abstract: Throughout the last decades, the global society has increasingly been debating about our responsibility to act in a sustainable and socially acceptable manner, both from a private and a corporate point of view. Over the course of this very discussion, governments, organizations and numerous institutions began to, among others, advocate sustainable energies such as wind and solar power in order to counteract the destruction and global warming of our planet. Since then, also a large part of the companies around the globe have changed their self-concept, moving away from the conception of reckless businesses that are solely being after the maximum profit in everything they do, and striving after the perception of caring yet economically successful enterprises that support both their employees and their (social) environment. As a matter of fact, the so-called corporate social responsibility has become a major aspect on how potential employees or clients assess a company’s value nowadays. And as part of this development many enterprises – first and foremost banks and other financial institutions – have, at least to some extent, adjusted their investing behavior as well, representing social awareness and creating additional value through a wide variety of social and/ or sustainable investments. The concept of impact investing – providing a social value alongside a financial return – has, therefore, become a familiar face in the financial sector and might be a considerable help in realizing global sustainability objectives, e.g. the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. This analysis imparts a holistic introduction into the relatively young yet comprehensive topic and ultimately investigates the question to what extent impact investing could play a leading role in the future of investing. This paper is divided into another 5 chapters that are organized as follows: Chapter 2 deals with the definition and classification, but also with contemporary issues of Impact Investing. Chapter 3 provides a general framework for defining and developing a personalized impact portfolio profile, whereas Chapter 4 makes an approach to model the latter while referring to traditional static modeling approaches. Chapter 5 attends to the empirical performance of both SRI and impact portfolios in comparison with “traditional” benchmarks. Finally, chapter 6 concludes and, on the basis of this research, gives a future prospect.