A catalyst for change: PGGM owns ESG

Not content to sit back and wait for the market to move, PGGM decided to learn by doing and launched its own responsible-equity portfolio three years ago. In line with its belief that sustainability pays, PGGM’s portfolio has a long-term investment horizon that integrates financial and environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors with active ownership. … Read more

Demystifying equal weighting

The idea of accessing risk premia through the use of index-based funds and ETFs has been gaining momentum in recent years. Risk premia indexes aim to reflect the equity premia of stock characteristics such as value, size or momentum. Among the risk premia indexes, equally weighted indexes are some of the oldest and most well … Read more

Exchanges support
better disclosure

A line in the sand has been drawn on the short-term behaviour of all participants in capital markets – including companies, brokers, funds managers and investors – with the formal commitment of five stock exchanges to promote long-term, sustainable investment and improved environmental, social, and governance disclosure and performance among listed companies. With a combined … Read more

Past volatility making way for future steady yields

The role of emerging markets debt is evolving from a return-enhancer to providing some buffer against volatile markets. Emerging markets debt has been one of the best performing asset classes in the last decade but experts say those spectacular returns may be a thing of the past. There are signs emerging markets debt is becoming … Read more

Investors look to broaden debt exposures

At a time of increasing risk and diminishing returns from traditional government bond investments, a growing number of large investors are beginning to cast their eyes toward emerging markets as a way to broaden their fixed-income portfolios. Paul O’Brien, head of fixed-income strategy at The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), considered by many to be … Read more

Strong investor interest in corporate debt

Emerging markets corporate debt is taking on a bigger role in fixed-income portfolios with attractive yields and strong underlying fundamentals relative to both sovereign and developed-market high-yield debt attracting investors. While still beholden to sell-offs in risk assets, emerging markets corporate debt has seen strong inflows from institutional investors driven by returns that have outperformed … Read more