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☆ This could be the start of the end for the ESG hype party, Hargreaves Lansdown says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThis could be the start of the end for the ESG hype party, Hargreaves Lansdown saysEmma Wall, head of investment analysis and research at Hargreaves Lansdown, discusses the market outlook and the future of environmental, social and governance.

Persons: Hargreaves Lansdown, Emma Wall

☆ UK investors back money market funds in May, ditch ESG funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - UK investors backed money market funds in May at the fastest rate since the country's failed 'mini-budget' last year, opting for caution after a volatile period in global banking, funds network Calastone said on Tuesday. The data also showed that environmental, social and corporate governance-focused equity funds suffered their worst month on record, shedding 304 million pounds of capital. Investors added a net 318 million pounds during the month, half the average of the last year, Calastone said. Equity funds suffered net outflows of 302 million pounds, meanwhile, marking a sharp reversal after strong inflows in March and April. UK-focused funds were particularly hard hit, seeing outflows of 583 million pounds.

Persons: Calastone, Liz Truss, Edward Glyn, Iain Withers, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Equity, Thomson Locations: U.S, Calastone

☆ How one DeSantis speech captured the dynamic that could decide 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The next 30 minutes of DeSantis’ speech then demonstrated how Biden might survive despite all the doubts about his performance and capabilities. In that way, DeSantis’ first swing through Iowa showed why Republicans are still at risk in 2024 from a key dynamic that dashed their hopes of a sweeping “red wave” in 2022. Many strategists in both parties believe that dynamic is most likely to recur in 2024 if the GOP nominates Trump. One reason, Republicans argue, is that the eventual nominee likely will talk about these issues less in a general election. Beset by all the difficult domestic conditions DeSantis highlighted, Biden will likely struggle straight through November 2024 to affirmatively convince a majority that his performance deserves another term.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Biden, DeSantis, Donald Trump, ”, Sarah Longwell, MAGA Trump, “, Trump, Chris Wilson, Republican pollster, Jesse Ferguson, SRSS, “ Biden, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W . Bush, “ DeSantis, Ferguson, don’t, –, David Kochel, Kochel, can’t, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton’s, suburbanites, Nick Gourevitch, DeSantis ’, dethroning Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden “ Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Biden’s, Republicans, GOP, Trump, Republican, Longwell, Biden, White House, White, Edison Research, House, Democrats, Senate, Fox News, Walt Disney Co, Democratic, eventual Locations: Iowa, Des Moines, Biden’s America, America, Florida, Arizona , Georgia, Nevada , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan

June 5 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has asked a federal judge to toss out a lawsuit by Republican-led states seeking to strike down a rule allowing socially-conscious investing by employee retirement plans. The states moved last month for a ruling permanently blocking the rule, which took effect Jan. 30. The Biden administration on Friday said the rule makes clear that retirement plans must base decisions primarily on financial factors. But unlike the Trump-era rule, it also recognizes that issues such as climate change and social justice can impact companies' long-term financial health, the Justice Department said. The judge in March rejected the Biden administration's claim that the states were improperly "judge shopping" by filing the lawsuit in Amarillo, where Kacsmaryk is the only judge.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Sean Reyes, John Scott, Joe Biden, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Donald Trump, Kacsmaryk, Daniel Wiessner, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Republican, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S . Department of Labor, Trump, Justice Department, Interim Texas, Congress, District, Biden, Thomson Locations: Amarillo , Texas, Utah, Texas, U.S, Amarillo, Albany , New York

HONG KONG, June 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Shein is threading the world’s trickiest geopolitical needle. But rising American pressure is forcing it to tweak its business model right as it tries to list there. Last year, its top line surged 46% to $23 billion, per the Wall Street Journal, surpassing $22 billion at H&M and outpacing the 18% growth at Inditex. A Boston Consulting Group report notes that this model allows Shein to keep inventory turnover at just 40 days. That will be expensive; the company's net profit margin was a razor-thin 3.5% last year, according to the Wall Street Journal, far below bricks and mortar rival Inditex's 13%.

Persons: Shein, Bernstein, Chris Xu, Xu, Mubadala, Pete Sweeney, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Rivals, Street, Financial Times, Boston Consulting, Morningstar, Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street, ’, Singapore, Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Zara, China, Inditex, Guangdong, U.S, Xinjiang, Nanjing, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India

☆ Corporate ESG Requirements Are About to Ramp Up. Here’s How CFOs Can Prepare.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Anna Mutoh | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

There's a burgeoning bull case for Saudi Arabia stocks. The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) is up more than 8% year to date and almost 20% over a three-year period. The MSCI Saudi Arabia Index is composed of almost 45% in financials, followed by 22.1% in materials, mostly consisting of petrochemicals groups. More foreign investment The kingdom's Vision 2030 economic blueprint aims to raise foreign direct investment contributions to 5.7% by 2030 from 0.7% currently . Another fund that does this is the Franklin FTSE Saudi Arabia ETF (FLSA) .

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Carlos Asilis, Ramzi Sidani, — it's, they've, It's, Andrew Miller, Miller, Glovista's, HSBC's Sidani, Mondrian, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Glovista Investments, JPMorgan —, HSBC's Global Research, Saudi, HSBC's Frontier Equity, United Arab Emirates, Mondrian Investment Partners, Franklin FTSE, Franklin FTSE Saudi Arabia, Aramco, Al, Al Rajhi Bank Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Russia, Ukraine, East, Korea, Australia, Chile, Poland, financials, Qatar, Franklin FTSE Saudi, Al Rajhi

☆ ESG Blowback: Exxon, Chevron Investors Reject Climate Measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Collin Eaton | Jenny Strasburg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/esg-blowback-exxon-chevron-investors-reject-climate-measures-4532da99

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: exxon

☆ Exxon and Chevron investors shoot down climate proposals after a year a record profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors shot down proposals urging Exxon and Chevron to set more ambitious climate targets. Climate-minded investors blame Big Oil's soaring profits and Republicans' criticism of ESG. "It's incomprehensible why investors are accepting this when they have more to worry about than the profits of Big Oil. Exxon in December said more than 70% of its capital investments in the coming years would flow to fossil-fuel development. "To be fair, we have seen change at Exxon in the last two years.

Persons: Big, Mark van Baal, Critics, Andrew Logan Organizations: Exxon, Chevron, Service, ExxonMobil, BlackRock, Vanguard, Big, Big Oil Locations: Ukraine

☆ Here's how Bank of America is telling traders to invest up and down the spectrum from large cap to small to book maximum profits while playing smart defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Marley Jay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Its equity strategists say that value criteria tend to work best in small- and mid-cap stocks. They added that small caps are an especially good pathway to diversification right now. But they noted that investors can use small caps to diversify their portfolios while also being rewarded for better stock picking. "High Projected Long-Term Growth has not been a strong stock selection factor over the long-term," they wrote. "The best way to pick stocks within small caps over the long-term has been buying stocks with high free cash flow to enterprise value" and other metrics based on free cash flow yields.

Persons: Subramanian, it's, Jill Carey Hall, Nicolas Woods, Woods, Russell, Russell MidCap Organizations: of America, Bank of America, US Equity, Materials, Nasdaq, Bank of

LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - Beyoncé's fans, collectively known as the "BeyHive," are going savage to catch a glimpse of her during her "Renaissance World Tour". Money and distance are no object when your idol beckons in 57 concerts across 40 cities in North America and 14 across Europe. Jimmy Long of San Francisco flew to Stockholm for the May 10 opening show after finding $370 front-section "Club Renaissance" seats - a bargain compared to similar U.S.-based tickets costing $1,200 or more. England-based Ayo Awokoya was uplifted despite enduring an arduous Manchester-London train ride that lasted six hours instead of 4-1/2 hours. Janny splurged 6,000 reais ($1,199.21) for her first flight, on top of 5,000 reais for Club Renaissance tickets in Frankfurt, Germany.

Persons: Jimmy Long, Beyonce, Janny Nascimento, Sharon Kimathi, Richard Chang Organizations: Club, Thomson Locations: North America, Europe, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sweden, England, Manchester, London, Rio de Janeiro, Frankfurt, Germany

☆ Philip Morris International CEO aims to make its stock an ESG investment, FT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The majority of those sales come from PMI’s “heated tobacco” products, which use electricity to warm, rather than burn, tobacco. “This requires system-level change.”Philip Morris International, headquartered in Switzerland, is the multinational firm that sells Marlboro brand cigarettes in non-US markets. It was spun off in 2008 from Altria Group, which controls Philip Morris USA. That’s especially true in Europe, where ESG accounted for 65% of all flows into ETFs in 2022, according to Morningstar data. Olczak touted PMI’s ESG bona fides on transparency, though he also acknowledged that the use of child labor in tobacco supply chains harmed his company’s ESG rating.

Persons: Philip Morris, Jacek Olczak, ” Olczak, “ I’m, Philip Morris …, ”, ” Philip Morris, ESG, Olczak, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Financial Times, CNN, ” Philip Morris International, Marlboro, Altria Group, Philip Morris USA, drillers, Morningstar Locations: New York, Switzerland, Europe

☆ What comes next for ESG funds after the political backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Surging energy stocks in 2022 hurt the performance of many of the largest funds, and political backlash has gained traction with several states moving to block state funds from being invested in ESG products. According to AllianceBernstein, there were $12.1 billion of outflows from ESG funds in North America during the first quarter, although that was due to large outflows from a handful of funds. "This was primarily driven by redemptions from a few large passive ESG funds (e.g., iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF ) due to underlying investors rebalancing their factor exposure. Clearly the political backlash against ESG also weighed on sentiment and demand for ESG products in North America," AllianceBernstein's Zhihan Ma said in an early May note to clients. There were $2.7 billion of inflows into ESG funds in Western Europe during the first quarter, according to Bernstein.

☆ Opinion: The ultimate ‘Succession’ lesson
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Walt Handlesman/Tribune Content AgencyIn a much more ominous vein, the theme of survival dominates the HBO show “Succession,” which is coming to an end Sunday. She’s so caught up in beating her brothers at the succession game that she can’t see this baby as anything but an obstacle.”“Ultimately, this storyline is a perfect encapsulation of the larger tragedy that is ‘Succession,’” Bodenheimer added. The contest for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination heated up last week with the official entry of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump’s strongest challenger in the polls.

☆ The Anti-Woke Presidential Candidate Who Wants to Crush ESG and Gut the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Peter Rudegeair | Angel Au-Yeung | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-anti-woke-presidential-candidate-who-wants-to-crush-esg-and-gut-the-fed-a486fdc

☆ Not just Disney: DeSantis brings history of business battles to the presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis officially launched his presidential campaign Wednesday, putting his blend of pro-business conservativism and culture-war populism to the test at the national level. In the most recent legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill that stopped union dues from being automatically deducted from public employees' paychecks. Ron DeSantis, a critic of environmentally sensitive investing, didn't succeed in protecting his constituents from the ravages of Hurricane Ian, which may have been intensified by global warming. DeSantis signed a bill in early May barring state and local officials from making ESG-based investment decisions. The Disney sagaApparel promoting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sit on a table before a book tour event at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina.

☆ 2024 US presidential election: who is in, who is out and who is still thinking about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Ross Colvin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

May 24 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday he is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, joining former President Donald Trump in a growing list of Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden. Here is a list of declared candidates and other potential 2024 hopefuls in both the Democratic and Republican parties. The former Kansas congressman was one of Trump's most loyal lieutenants and initially backed his false claims of a stolen presidential election in 2020. Several of his key staff, though, have recently joined the DeSantis camp, suggesting that Youngkin is not going to run in 2024. She ran as a Democrat in the 2020 presidential primary but dropped out of the race before any votes had been cast.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, JOE BIDEN Biden, DONALD TRUMP Trump, Biden, Trump, RON DESANTIS, DeSantis, SCOTT, Scott, NIKKI HALEY, Haley, ASA HUTCHINSON, Hutchinson, MIKE, Pence, Trump's, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Christie, CHRIS SUNUNU The, VIVEK RAMASWAMY, Ramaswamy, ROBERT KENNEDY JR, Kennedy, Robert F, MIKE POMPEO Trump's, GLENN YOUNGKIN, MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, Ross Colvin, Colleen Jenkins, Nick Zieminski, Mark Potter Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Biden, Trump, Republican Party, New, Walt Disney Co, Black Republican U.S, Reuters, United Nations, ASA, White House, U.S . Capitol, Republican White House, YouTube, Central Intelligence Agency, White, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, New York, Ukraine, South Carolina, Arkansas, Pence, New Jersey, CHRIS SUNUNU The New Hampshire, England, Kansas, Virginia

☆ Outperforming fund manager shares tips on investing sustainably — and generating big returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Philip Ripman manages the $1 billion Storebrand Global Solutions fund, with a focus on sustainability. As well as green energy stocks, Ripman also invests in chipmakers, cybersecurity stocks, pharmaceuticals and more. Ripman shared three tips for investing sustainably on CNBC Pro Talks , including how to play the renewables theme. Renewables are 'cheaper' right now Ripman said that renewable energy stocks look relatively cheap and offer "a lot of opportunity" right now. Consider what's needed in the future The four themes in Ripman's fund — smart cities, circular economy, equal opportunities, and renewable energy — are what he believes will be "essential in years to come."

☆ The up-and-coming stock pickers you should have on your radar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rising stars of equity research. When it comes to equity research, these analysts are a "strong buy." For a third consecutive year, Insider reporters canvassed their sources to identify the rising stars of equity research. Click here to meet our 17 rising stars of equity research. These are 10 of the cheapest places to nab a beach house in the US.

May 21 (Reuters) - The absence of women from the slate of potential Morgan Stanley (MS.N) CEO successors underscores the importance of cultivating and keeping diverse talent, corporate governance experts say. Morgan Stanley co-presidents Ted Pick and Andy Saperstein, and head of investment management Dan Simkowitz, are the front-runners to succeed James Gorman, who said on Friday he plans to step down as chief executive within a year. The most recent U.S. workforce diversity data comprehensively reported by the Wall Street banks shows women were less represented in leadership positions at Morgan Stanley than at other top U.S. banks as of 2021. A Morgan Stanley representative declined to comment. To be sure, Morgan Stanley has several women in top roles, including Chief Financial Officer Sharon Yeshaya.

☆ 'ESG' in US finance job titles comes with 20% pay premium
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Salaries of ESG and non-ESG personnel started to diverge in 2020, in line with the spike in hiring in ESG roles due to the increasing focus on ESG and sustainable investing in the finance sector," said Loujaina Abdelwahed, an economist at the company. Revelio Labs scraped online professional profiles for people with finance roles in commercial and investment banking and asset management and split them into those with ESG or sustainability in their job titles and those without. Reuters GraphicsSince 2019, the rate of base salary growth for ESG roles has been about 38 percentage points higher than non-ESG personnel, Abdelwahed said. ESG-tagged roles overtook non-ESG on a six-month moving average basis in June 2020 and in August 2021 surged to peak around $109,846, fully $20,000 higher than non-ESG. The gap shrank in the second half of 2021 but grew again into this year: in April 2023 average ESG salaries were $110,348 versus $90,283.

May 17 (Reuters) - A group of Republican-led U.S. states has asked a federal judge in Texas to strike down a Biden administration rule allowing socially conscious investing by retirement plans, saying it will imperil Americans' retirement savings. The rule, which took effect Jan. 30, sets guidelines for ESG investing including requiring that socially conscious investments are still financially sound. The states sued in January and in February had asked the judge to temporarily block the rule pending the outcome of the case. The judge has not yet ruled on that bid, and in Tuesday's filing, the states asked the judge to rule on the merits of their lawsuit. Kacsmaryk in March refused to transfer the challenge to the ESG investing rule to another court.

☆ The ESG Proxy Vote Ranking
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Photo: Getty Images/iStockphotoIf Americans want to make investment decisions using environmental, social and governance factors, that’s fair enough. It’s a free country. The problem is having a hidden agenda that applies to everybody else. A new analysis says that, even in non-ESG investment vehicles, many asset managers proxy vote in favor of woke shareholder proposals to do racial audits or strangle fossil fuels. The table nearby shows the score.

The Canadian pension funds have benchmarked their investments to that level, according to the presentation. Australian pension funds have invested about 50% of their total assets in domestic equities, according to the presentation. China Investment Corp is Teck's single-biggest institutional investor with a 10.3% stake, and Norway's wealth fund, Norges Bank, owns 1.52%, while Canadian pensions together hold 0.78% stake, according to Refinitiv data. All other pension funds did not respond to Reuters request for comments. Canadian pension funds represent 30% of the total financial savings of Canadians.

☆ What life after Larry looks like at BlackRock
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink Spencer Platt/Getty Images1. Who's next at BlackRock? On Wall Street, you'd be tough to find a founder and their company more synonymous with each other than Larry Fink and BlackRock. And while it's clear he doesn't want to remain at BlackRock forever, what's not clear is who would step in to fill the void. If that isn't enough for you, Rebecca also mapped out how BlackRock organizes its top leadership, identifying the 150 most powerful people and their reporting lines. Click here to learn more about BlackRock's succession plans for Larry Fink.

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