I et forsøg på at kortlægge pandemiens indflydelse på det finansielle marked, har Schroders for nyligt interviewet samtlige investeringseksperter med et fokus på bæredygtige investeringer.
Med hensyn til ESG, og hvordan dette italesættes hos virksomheder, siger Katherine Davidson, Global og International Aktieporteføljeforvalter, følgende:
”Dialogen har ændret sig mellem investorer og virksomheder. ESG (miljømæssige, sociale, regeringsførelse) bekymringer plejede primært at blive diskuteret i form af “E”, men i år er det blevet meget klart, at det sociale aspekt er lige så vigtigt. Dette er en bred samtale, der også sker i medierne og i bredere samfund. Hvordan virksomheder behandler deres personale, administrerer deres forsyningskæder og holder deres kunder sikre, er ikke kun af interesse for investorer.”
Ydermere siger Investeringsekspert Nicholette MacDonald-Brown om fremtidsudsigterne for bæredygtige investeringer:
“I think it will last and in simple terms it’s largely down to investment performance. The relative success of sustainable funds this year is very important because it was their first big test. This shows that sustainability isn’t a ‘luxury’ that investors can only afford to think about in the good times; it’s crucial in tough economic times too. Looking just at the European benchmarks, the MSCI Europe ESG leaders index returned -1.9% year-to-date compared to -5.6% for the broad MSCI Europe index (source: Morningstar, as at 30 November 2020). For me, this shows the sustainability debate will persist.”
Afslutningsvist bliver de to eksperter spurgt ind til hvordan dette vil påvirke kunderne, hvortil de svarer:
KD: “The pandemic has caused a lot of people to consider their values and what is most important to them. This has big implications for investing. For example, our latest Global Investor Study found that 77% of retail investors won’t invest in something if it’s against their personal beliefs.”
NMB: “There’s often a misconception that there’s a narrow audience for sustainable products, or that only young people are concerned about sustainability. Perhaps that used to be true but it’s certainly not now. More traditional investors like insurance companies also care about sustainability and are starting to drive the conversation. The growing evidence that you can achieve your investment goals without compromising your beliefs is crucial in this regard.”
Læs mere
Alt andet lige, ser det ud til, at Covid-19 har haft positiv indflydelse på samtalen om ESG og bæredygtige investeringer. Læs mere, om eksperternes synspunkt her:
https://www.schroders.com/en/us/institutional/insights/equities/has-covid-19-changed-the-conversation-around-sustainable-investing/
