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☆ This $1 billion ETF is a smart way to invest in water, Bank of America says. Here's what's in it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Even GDP growth should translate to a 400% increase in water demand by 2050. The First Trust Water ETF (FIW) has an average annual return of 10.5% over the past decade, according to FactSet, and is the top rated fund in the space by Bank of America ETF strategist Jared Woodard. As the impending realities of water scarcity become clearer, we expect water funds to benefit," Woodard said in a Nov. 6 note. FIW ALL mountain The First Trust Water ETF (FIW) has a solid long-term track record. Ferguson's clients include large commercial buildings and water utilities.

Persons: Haim Israel, Jared Woodard, FIW, Woodard, Industrials, Ferguson, Ecolab . Roper Organizations: Bank of America, Water, Trust, Companies, Roper Technologies, Neptune Technology Group Locations: industrials, Minnesota

BALTIMORE (AP) — A medical waste processing company has pleaded guilty to dozens of environment-related charges and agreed to pay $1.75 million in fines after state prosecutors in Maryland accused a south Baltimore incineration plant owned by the firm of exposing the public to biohazardous material. It’s supposed to be burned into ash before being transported to landfills, a process that prevents disease transmission, state officials said Tuesday at a news conference announcing the settlement agreement involving the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator. The fine incurred by Curtis Bay Energy is among the highest environmental penalties imposed in Maryland’s history. Witnesses provided photographs from the site showing substantial amounts of unburned medical waste, including surgical gloves, medical supplies and bedding, according to court documents. In addition to evidence of unburned medical waste, investigators found the company had knowingly installed an illegal pump that was discharging wastewater onto an adjacent property.

Persons: ”, General Anthony Brown, ” Kelly Love, “, ” “, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Curtis Organizations: BALTIMORE, Curtis, Curtis Bay Energy, Maryland Attorney General’s, ” “ Curtis, ” “ Curtis Bay Energy, Water Fund, Prosecutors, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Maryland, Baltimore, Curtis Bay, Baltimore’s Curtis Bay, Patapsco, Virginia, ” “ Curtis Bay, Curtis

☆ A fund manager at a $250 billion firm that aims to capture megatrends shares the top 10 stocks pulled from its 12 strategies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Gertjan van der Geer, a senior investment manager at the firm, describes megatrends as large social, economic, political, environmental, or technological transformations that significantly impact the economy, society, cultures, or businesses. Additionally, five criteria must be met before Pictet creates a thematic fund, van der Geer said. When it comes down to picking the right basket of stocks, van der Geer noted that a company's fundamentals are key. And there are a few things that we are looking for in these companies," van der Geer said. And one of the key ways to improve our CO2 footprint globally is to reduce the unnecessary pollution," van der Geer said.

Persons: they're, Gertjan van der Geer, Pictet, van der Geer, It's, Van der Geer Organizations: Microsoft, Apple, Pictet, Management, Premium Brands, Security, Health, Schneider, Clean Energy, Nordisk, Asml, Roper Technologies, Kla Corp, Republic Services Locations: megatrends

☆ Explainer: The business of water: no one-size-fits-all approach
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSA group of experts established by the Dutch government is proposing "Just Water Partnerships" in which development finance institutions would invest alongside private firms to improve water systems in lower-income countries. One of those, the Calvert Global Water Fund, tracks the performance of an index of companies that "are offering products or services that are part of a solution to global water challenges," said portfolio manager Jade Huang. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach that can help to approach the many aspects of dealing with water challenges," Huang added. Lance Coogan, who developed that concept for water price indexing, describes it as "the volume-weighted average of the actual water transactions that are taking place". How can you have those things without having the water price?"

☆ Half of Sequoia Capital's VC funds since 2018 have posted losses for the University of California's endowment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Ben Bergman | Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The University of California endowment has invested over $800 million in Sequoia funds since 2018. The returns show ten Sequoia funds across all stages and geographies are now underwater for the investor. The University of California's massive $28 billion endowment, a limited partner in 20 Sequoia Capital funds since 2018, is underwater on half those investments, according to documents obtained by Insider. Meanwhile ten of the Sequoia funds that UC Investments has invested in have been marked down in value on paper. One of UC Investment's largest commitments to Sequoia is $232 million earmarked for the 2022 Sequoia Capital Fund.

☆ The world is running out of fresh water. How to invest in the companies trying to prevent this crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Many operate in areas like filtration and desalination, testing and analytics or smart water networks that can help use water more efficiently. It also invests in water solutions companies like Danaher even if the share of their revenue from water-related businesses is below the 30% threshold the fund typically requires. Water metering also is important for conservation efforts, and companies in this space include Xylem , Badger Meter and Roper . As a pure-play water company, he expects it to take advantage of several industry trends. In the water quality space, Evoqua Water Technologies is a name RBC likes.

☆ Stocks are giving some clues that there could be a Republican congressional sweep, Strategas says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

At the same time, odds for a Republican sweep on Nov. 8 have risen. Individual solar and other renewable names are also down sharply, like First Solar, which is in the Strategas Democratic portfolio. Clifton said his portfolios are pointing to a 60% chance of a Republican sweep, while betting markets are at 50/50. Among the holdings in the Republican portfolio are companies that would benefit from distribution and transportation of oil and gas, like Enterprise Products Partners. "The market is increasingly pricing in a Republican sweep.

☆ Return of pet projects in U.S. Congress crowds out funding for others
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Andy Sullivan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A view shows the city of Glen Ullin, U.S., in this undated photo. Sept 29 (Reuters) - Glen Ullin, North Dakota, was first in line for money to replace its leaky water pipes before Washington cut funding by one-third this spring. The reason: Congress is yet again diverting money to pet projects known as "earmarks. That wasn't an option in North Dakota, whose congressional delegation did not submit any earmark requests this year or last. Glen Ullin probably won't qualify for infrastructure dollars because those are distributed using different criteria, officials say.

One of two state agencies responsible for pushing out millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds said it could be at least mid-to-late 2023 before any allocations roll out. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat, has said the price tag to overhaul the city’s water infrastructure could balloon into the billions. This year, the Mississippi Legislature created a $450 million water infrastructure funding program with money the state received through the Congressional Covid relief package that passed in 2021. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is administering the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Sam Mozee, director of the Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University, says his team is tracking what happens with funding going forward.

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