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☆ Investor Gerber to run for Tesla board, cites PR and service issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowFeb 10 (Reuters) - Well-known Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) investor Ross Gerber said on Friday he plans to notify the electric carmaker that he will run for its board of directors, citing problems with its public relations, customer service and succession planning. "Tesla has let Elon be the voice of Tesla forever. Gerber is CEO of a California wealth-management firm with only about 440,000 shares of Tesla. And if I'm going to do that, I should be a representative of the company," Gerber said. Gerber said he plans to notify Tesla next week of his intent to run for its eight-member board at its annual meeting in May, and said he expects Tesla will accept him as a candidate.

☆ Anti-abortion protesters break into Walgreens AGM meeting room
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Anti-abortion protesters broke into the room where Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) held its annual shareholders meeting in Newport Coast, California on Thursday for its decision to start selling abortion pills, the pharmacy chain said. "Today, directly after the close of official business of our annual shareholders meeting, a small group of protesters entered the meeting room without authorization," Walgreens Senior Director for External Relations Fraser Engerman told Reuters. "It was a wild annual shareholders meeting," said Walgreens shareholder and AGM attendee John Chevedden. "The protesters knew what they were doing because they found a way to enter the room from behind the podium. "Upon leaving the meeting there were about 50 noisy protesters with signs just outside of the resort grounds," he said via email.

Musk's comments add to a long-running debate over whether such advisers have too much sway over corporate decision-making. Academic reviews have found mixed evidence about the proxy advisers’ impact. U.S. Republican state officials have also weighed in, writing to the two advisory firms asking if their recommendations met their obligations to investors. Contrary to Musk, however, Republicans at the state and national level have also charged top passive fund managers themselves have grown too aggressive with their proxy votes, a claim fund managers deny. Tesla has faced its own disagreements with the proxy advisers.

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Shareholder resolutions filed by New York City's top pension official will ask top Wall Street banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) to set stricter 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for portfolio companies. The new resolutions ask banks including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Group (GS.N) and JPMorgan to commit to reducing emissions in their energy lending and underwriting. Lander cited plans outlined last year by Citigroup (C.N) for emissions across its energy loan portfolio to drop 29% by 2030 from 2020. Currently the other three banks have goals to reduce the "emissions intensity" of their financing, a measure of emissions relative to output that climate activists say does not go far enough. Representatives for JPMorgan, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs declined to comment on the resolutions.

☆ BlackRock, Vanguard stand apart as U.S. funds suffer first annual outflows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Passive products from BlackRock Inc, (BLK.N) Vanguard Group and others were rare cash recipients last year as U.S. mutual and exchange-traded funds suffered $370 billion in net withdrawals, their first annual outflows on record, researcher Morningstar Inc (MORN.O) said. Passive funds took in $556 billion last year, Morningstar said. Although the amount was about 42% lower than their net deposits in 2021, "investors appear to be buying passive funds in both good times and bad," Morningstar said. Among fund families, the largest net withdrawals were recorded at T. Rowe Price at $59.2 billion, followed by American Funds, $55.5 billion. The biggest net deposits went into BlackRock's iShares ETF product line at $166.7 billion, and $82.7 billion to Vanguard, in line with their global flow pattern.

The study, commissioned by non-profit The Sunrise Project, attributed the higher costs primarily to reduced competition to underwrite government bonds in six states furthest along in restricting financial firms or considering doing so. The restrictions would mean fewer banks seeking to underwrite municipal bond issuance, a common way for cities to raise money. According to the new study, taxpayers in six states - Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Missouri - could have faced up to $708 million in additional interest charges on municipal bonds over the past 12 months. The study based its analysis on a recent Wharton School of Business paper that found Texas taxpayers could have faced up to $532 million in additional interest payments because of restrictions introduced in that state. Reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Ross Kerber; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It said 80% of its close to $8 trillion in assets are in its index funds, which primarily attract retail investors. Vanguard's biggest competitors, BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) and State Street Corp's (STT.N) asset-management arm, rely more on institutional investors including pension funds and foundations. Many retail investors are also interested in matters like climate change, but prioritize them less in building retirement portfolios, said Rosenbluth and other industry analysts. A FINRA Investor Education Foundation study of retail investors last March found only 9% of respondents held ESG investments. A big factor behind this gap is retail investors' lack of familiarity or knowledge about ESG products, the study found.

Focusing on environmental, social or governance-related issues, ESG in industry parlance, could hit returns to investors, critics said. Other states followed, with Texas accusing BlackRock and banks including Bank of America (BAC.N) of 'boycotting' fossil fuel companies in the transition to a greener economy. WHY IT MATTERSThe criticism comes at a critical time for global climate efforts. A landmark U.N. report earlier this year said time was running out to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. With a number of investigations into finance-linked ESG activities still in train across various states, the prospect of a let-up in pressure in 2023 is slim.

Exxon has yet to set any 2030 Scope 3 target. Shell said it believed its targets are aligned with the U.N. climate targets. We remain committed to constructive engagement with our investors," a Shell spokesperson said in a statement. The group of investors co-filing the resolutions includes Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, Degroof Petercam Asset Management and Achmea Asset Management. Exxon and Chevron have in the past successfully blocked attempts to file climate resolutions with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

☆ Financial executives and Texas Republicans spar over climate actions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Financial executives and Texas state senators clashed over company concerns for climate change at a hearing on Thursday, a rare in-person confrontation as Republicans ramp up attacks on the use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investing. Texas Republicans at the hearing, which was webcast, questioned whether the participation of BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) and State Street Corp (STT.N) in industry efforts to cut emissions put too much pressure on portfolio companies. Even as they take heat from energy-producing U.S. states, asset managers have faced pressure from climate activists and Democrats to take more environmental action. With some $8 trillion under management, BlackRock has been singled out by Texas for alleged over-pressuring of its important energy sector. A number of State Street funds were also designated.

☆ BlackRock executive and Texas Republicans spar over climate actions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - A BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) executive and Texas state senators sparred over the firm's membership in an investment group aiming to limit climate change at a hearing on Thursday. Republicans at the hearing, which was webcast, questioned if BlackRock's membership in the Climate Action 100+ committed it to putting too much pressure on portfolio companies to take steps to reduce emissions. BlackRock Senior Managing Director Dalia Blass said the firm had maintained its independence within the group. “We have one bias, and that's to get the best risk-adjusted returns for our clients," Blass said. Reporting by Ross Kerber Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Claudine Gay, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, speaks during the 368th Commencement Exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., May 30, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoBOSTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Harvard University on Thursday named Claudine Gay, the school's dean of Faculty Arts and Sciences, as its 30th president, the first Black person and only the second woman to hold the job. Gay, the daughter of Haitian immigrants who joined Harvard as a professor in 2006, succeeds Lawrence Bacow as president of the prestigious, nearly 400-year-old Ivy League university. Gay, 52, will step into the job in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the university faces challenges to its admissions policies. Harvard argues that eliminating race as a consideration would hamper its efforts to create a more diverse student body.

☆ North Carolina treasurer wants BlackRock CEO to go, but keeps assets at firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 9 (Reuters) - North Carolina's state treasurer on Friday called for BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) Chief Executive Laurence Fink to resign or be removed from the top asset management firm, citing its focus on sustainable investing, but said public assets will stay with the firm. A division of Folwell's office, the North Carolina Retirement Systems (NCRS), has about $14 billion invested through BlackRock. A focus on ESG is not a focus on returns," the statement said. Meanwhile, Democratic officials and investors want BlackRock and other companies to come to terms with issues like climate change or workforce diversity. Earlier this week, small activist hedge fund Bluebell Capital Partners also sought Fink's departure over the company's ESG efforts.

The effort, known as the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, was launched in late 2020 to encourage fund firms to reach net zero emission targets by 2050 and limit the rise in global temperatures. As of Nov. 9, NZAM counted 291 signatories representing some $66 trillion in assets under management. As recently as May Vanguard was touting commitments it had made in line with NZAM's goals. Vanguard said the change "will not affect our commitment to helping our investors navigate the risks that climate change can pose to their long-term returns." "Vanguard was never serious about implementing its net zero commitment" Cuvelier said in a statement.

☆ U.S. railroad investor resolutions urge paid sick leave for workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Investors have proposed shareholder resolutions at two U.S. railroads calling for paid sick leave for workers, an issue that nearly caused a national rail strike, and they could go to an advisory vote at shareholder meetings in the spring. But the deal he approved did not include paid sick days for workers, a key sticking point for unions in contract talks with five major U.S. railroads. read moreProposals seen by Reuters filed by activist investors ask Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) and Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) to offer "a reasonable amount" of paid sick time, determined by company directors. Kate Monahan, a director at Trillium Asset Management, the socially minded investor that filed the resolution at Union Pacific, said more flexible sick time would have broader benefits like reducing workforce turnover. Railroads worry implementing paid sick leave would require more employees at a time when many have cut their workforces dramatically.

☆ Florida pulls $2 bln from BlackRock in largest anti-ESG divestment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This will allow them to hold hearings on ESG and grill the chief executives of BlackRock and other major assets managers about their ESG policies, and also pressure regulators to scrutinize them. Patronis accused BlackRock of focusing on ESG rather than higher returns for investors. U.S. Democratic officials have argued BlackRock doesn't press ESG concerns enough. read moreSo far, only Republican-controlled states have made major reallocations away from BlackRock, including $794 million pulled by Louisiana's treasurer read more and $500 million by Missouri's treasurer, both in October. Reporting by Ross Kerber in New York; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reactions to Apple supplier Foxconn's labour unrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of employees at Foxconn's (2317.TW) flagship iPhone plant in China have quit since last week, as the major Apple (AAPL.O) supplier battles the latest bout of labour unrest that began in late October due to strict zero-COVID policy. "We see that in these times of unrest, Apple needs to intensify its dialogue with Foxconn management, and if possible Chinese authorities, to communicate in strong terms what its policy expectations are around labour rights, and find solutions to stabilise the situation." As a first step, we have contacted Apple to understand how management views and addresses the on-going situation and what measures they are taking." JANNE WERNING, HEAD OF ESG CAPITAL MARKETS & STEWARDSHIP AT UNION INVESTMENT"This shows the importance of labour standards in the supply chain. We expect Apple, as one of the main buyers, to reassert its influence at Foxconn.

☆ SEC charges Goldman Sachs Asset Management with not following ESG investments policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GS.N) with failing to follow its policies and procedures involving environmental, socially oriented and other investments, and fined the company $4 million. The charges were specifically over "policies and procedures failures involving two mutual funds and one separately managed account strategy marketed as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments," the regulatory agency said in a statement. Without admitting or denying the regulator's findings, Goldman Sachs Asset Management agreed to pay the $4 million penalty, the SEC added. "Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is pleased to have resolved this matter, which addressed historical policies and procedures related to three of the Goldman Sachs Asset Management Fundamental Equity group's investment portfolios," the company said in a separate statement. The SEC found that, from April 2017 until February 2020, the company had several policy and procedure failures involving the ESG research its investment teams used to select and monitor securities.

At Fortune 100 companies, only 12 chief executives were women as of July 15, the same number as a year earlier, according to Heidrick. The Heidrick & Struggles also report showed 86 CEOs in the group were white, down slightly from 88 in the prior period. "If you want to accelerate the rate of the change in the C-suite, then it (diversity) has to be embedded in the succession plan," Taylor said. In a separate survey, Heidrick found record levels of board seats filled by first-time directors at 43%. Nearly half of the appointees last year were women, while 41% were racially or ethnically diverse, similar to rates in 2020.

Jennifer Schulp, a director at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, said the Republicans' unexpectedly tight margin of control in the House will not prompt them to tone down their rhetoric. 'REGULATORY EXUBERANCE'Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican in line to lead the House Financial Services Committee in the new Congress, said in an emailed statement to Reuters before the election that Biden's administration "is pushing its agenda through financial regulators because they don’t have the votes to pass it in Congress." "Committee Republicans will work together to conduct appropriate oversight of activist regulators and market participants who have an outsized impact," McHenry said. "The appropriations process in the House will be a messaging exercise, and it's less worrisome since the Democrats will have the Senate," McGannon said. While those Senators will not be in the majority, House Republicans have also criticized companies on ESG-related matters.

Investors souring on ESG funds could pose a challenge to governments seeking to enlist them in the fight against climate change. In 2021, 40% of actively managed ESG funds beat their benchmarks, almost as well as conventional funds. In 2020, the actively managed ESG funds did even better; 57% of them beat their benchmarks, while only 43% of conventional funds did so. One active ESG fund that has suffered in the downturn is Parnassus Core Equity fund (PRBLX.O). It's possible that market trends will come to favour the portfolios of ESG funds in the coming months.

☆ After WTA Finals exit, Swiatek relieved 'intense' season is over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Iga Swiatek missed out on a place in the WTA Finals title match after a surprise defeat to Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday but the world number one said she is happy her "intense" season is finally at an end. The Pole, who went on a 37-match winning streak earlier in the year, won the French and U.S. Swiatek, 21, was hot favourite to finish her year with the season-ending title at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas but was beaten 6-2 2-6 6-1 by Sabalenka in their semi-final. "This season has been so intense and I'm so proud of myself that I could play so well till the end. Swiatek's U.S. Open success saw her became the first woman to capture two Grand Slam titles in a season since Angelique Kerber won the Australian and U.S.

The "Voting Choice" program announced last year by the $8 trillion asset manager could reshape corporate elections both by making shareholders more involved and by diminishing the political criticism BlackRock faces from U.S. liberals and conservatives alike. BlackRock said in a statement that at the end of September clients with around $1.8 trillion in equity index assets managed by the company were eligible for voting choices and that clients with $452 billion were doing so. Last month for instance Charles Schwab Corp's (SCHW.N) asset-management arm said it would start polling shareholders of certain funds about their voting preferences. "Our clients have diverse perspectives, and a growing number would like the option to weigh in on how their index funds vote," Vanguard said in a statement. In addition, BlackRock said it would offer voting choice to more investment strategies and work with investor communications platform Proxymity to extend choice to retail investors in some British mutual funds.

What they want are signals on the pace of regulation that would allow company boards to plan their climate policy. The reality is that not enough has been done in the last 12 months – some would argue we have moved backwards," said Hortense Bioy, Global Director of Sustainability Research at Morningstar. Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, Head of Sustainability Research at asset manager Lombard Odier, said only a small portion of potential investments were credibly aligned towards net-zero. The biggest disruption since last year's Glasgow climate talks has been the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a major oil and gas exporter. It can be less obvious for some shareholders, however, as this year's high oil and gas prices have rewarded those producing fossil fuels.

Race to Zero members agree to "phase out development, financing and facilitation of new unabated fossil fuel assets, including coal," in line with science-based scenarios. Environmental advocates are concerned that GFANZ members won't be held to that standard or others without their commitment to Race to Zero. The change comes amid tensions between GFANZ and Wall Street firms over how far they should go in their climate commitments. GFANZ said its affiliation with the United Nations will continue. United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell will join a group responsible for setting its strategy and priorities, and monitoring progress, GFANZ added.

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