Investment

Super fund ESG option tops charts with investment returns

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  THURSDAY, 8 OCT 2020  |  NEWS
One industry superannuation fund's ESG option has posted an impressive 34% return over the past year to the end of August, vastly outperforming other fund's ESG options and even outperforming other ESG options within the same super fund.

Climate, worker rights rise up ESG agenda: Perennial

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 2 OCT 2020  |  NEWS
Greenhouse gas emissions and worker rights/modern slavery are the two most important areas of ESG focus for Australian listed companies in the near future, according to new research from Perennial Value Management.

BlackRock details engagement activity in stewardship report

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  TUESDAY, 29 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
BlackRock has increased its engagement by nearly half this year, and increased the number of votes against directors in invested companies, according to its 2020 BlackRock Investment Stewardship (BIS) report.

Strong inflows to sustainable option: Stockspot

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  TUESDAY, 29 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
Robo-adviser Stockspot's sustainable investing option has attracted close to 20% of new client inflows since launching in July.

Northern Trust outlines social, environmental challenges to road ahead

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  THURSDAY, 24 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
Reimaging capitalism and reengaging with climate risk are two of the broad themes that will affect financial markets over the next five years, according to Northern Trust.

ESG scores linked to higher stock valuation: Bank of America

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  THURSDAY, 24 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
Stocks with higher environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores have outperformed companies with lower ESG scores, according to Bank of America.

Opinion: Australian super funds could benefit from US ESG policy move

RAEWYN WILLIAMS  |  THURSDAY, 24 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
As Australian super funds build a reputation as strong advocates for climate change action, disturbing events in the US should make the industry grateful that the regulator, APRA, is party to the cause.

Superannuation funds accelerate climate action: ClimateWorks

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 18 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
Superannuation funds' efforts to address climate change risks are accelerating in Australia, according to a report examining the 20 largest funds.

ARENA, CEFC changes open door to CCS, hydrogen investment

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 18 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
The federal government will extend a fresh $1.62 billion to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to invest, and will change the legislative remit of ARENA and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) towards investing in carbon capture and ...

Ardea, UTS partnership to bring AI to fixed income analysis

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 18 SEP 2020  |  NEWS
Fixed income specialist Ardea Investment Management has launched a new research partnership with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) that will apply machine learning to areas including climate change and government bond investing.