Index

The world’s share of responsibly managed assets continued to expand in the two years through 2019, according to one of the most comprehensive industry studies. US-based ESG assets jumped 42% during the period. In Europe, sustainable assets dropped amid higher standards of what constitutes an ESG investment.

Chris Huemmer, Northern Trust Asset Management’s Senior Investment Strategist, discusses his firm’s innovative ETFs tracking multi-factor, ESG and climate strategies, and the role of an index provider in wrapping up a holistic investment approach.

The first annual ESG survey from the Index Industry Association (IIA) shows asset managers are preparing for sustainability principles to take a more significant role across their portfolios. It also points to significant challenges including the lack of data standardization, and says indices have a critical role to play in facilitating the adoption of ESG strategies.

Changes to the ESG index follow a market consultation and were undertaken to keep the methodology and index aligned with evolving sustainability practices and new guidelines from regulators. A Qontigo analysis shows the new rules didn’t significantly affect the country or industry allocation of the resulting portfolio.

An annual study by IHS Markit and the German Investor Relations Association reveals a diverse and global structure in DAX shares ownership. In a volatile 2020, US- and UK-based institutional investors increased their presence in the German benchmark’s stock universe, while domestic investors continued to pull out.

The STOXX® Global 1800 Index gains 1.5% in dollars in June and jumps 4.6% in euros following a rally in the greenback. Investors turn to Momentum stocks during the month but snub high-dividend shares. Equity volatility continues its march lower.

Stocks rose for a fifth straight month during June, as ongoing optimism that the global economy is rebounding outweighed concerns about faster inflation and higher interest rates.

BlackRock’s ‘Germany at the Sustainability Turning Point’ webinar provided a stage for a discussion around how companies and investors in Europe’s biggest market are adapting in the face of increasing ESG regulation.

Manuela Sperandeo, BlackRock’s Head of Sustainable Indexing for EMEA, and Rodolphe Bocquet, Qontigo’s Global Head of Sustainable Investment, discuss the current landscape for sustainable investing and the impact of Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

Qontigo’s global index provider STOXX Ltd. announced an unscheduled change to the SDAX Index.

The latest Qontigo whitepaper analyzes the risk, return and impact profile of three ESG indices tracking the STOXX® USA 500 benchmark: the STOXX® USA 500 ESG Broad Market, STOXX® USA 500 ESG Target and STOXX® USA 500 ESG Target TE. The study reveals that while performance and risk across the three ESG variants are similar to those of the parent benchmark, differences exist in the active risk and constitution of the portfolios.

The STOXX® USA 500 ESG Broad Market, ESG Target, and ESG Target TE indices aim to provide alternatives for index investors and product issuers who are looking to switch to more sustainable versions of traditional benchmarks.