Webinar: How Have ESG Funds Weathered Recent Market Volatility?

Most stock funds saw significant declines due to coronavirus and energy-related selling in Q1 2020. ESG funds - filtering their investments based on environmental, social, and governance criteria - on average outperformed their stated benchmarks. 

Join our online discussion on July 9th, 1-2:00 pm EDT and learn from our panel of experts, representing diverse asset classes, why certain ESG portfolios experienced less volatility during these uncertain times, and how best to position your investments in the current market environment.  The discussion will cover:

• What is it about ESG funds that drove more moderate declines? Is this about risk management or are strong ESG scorers uncorrelated with the broad market performance during bearish times?

• Which sectors within equity and fixed income offer the best risk/return profile considering ESG/impact dynamics?
• What comparison benchmarks are most suitable for validating the relative performance of ESG-driven companies?
  

• What balance of equity and fixed income in ESG portfolios is appropriate in different circumstances?
  

• How has the recent volatility influenced decisions about allocating to active vs. passive ESG managers?
  

• Should ESG integration be part of your risk management strategy? 

Speakers include: 

• Moderator - Jennifer Leonard, Executive Director, Asset Manager Due Diligence, Cornerstone Capital Group. Cornerstone Capital serves clients who want their investments to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive world. They develop and manage custom investment strategies designed to achieve targeted environmental and social impact without sacrificing financial performance. Their approach is distinguished by the depth and rigor of manager due diligence, and by the integration of thematic research work into that process. Cornerstone also offers a global equity mutual fund called the Access Impact Fund (CCIIX), which provides a liquid solution accessible to all investors.

• Eric Glass,  Portfolio Manager and a member of the Municipal Investment Policy Group, as well as the lead on the Municipal Impact Investment Policy Group at Alliance Bernstein. He is also a member of AB’s firm wide Responsible Investment Steering Committee and Corporate Social Responsibility Working Group. After joining the firm in 2000, Glass served as a research analyst and trader on the Municipal team. Before that, he was on the municipal research team at Moody’s Investors Service. 

• Garvin Jabusch, Co-Founder & CIO, Green Alpha Advisors. Green Alpha endeavors to grow clients’ capital by building portfolios that tap into the innovation-driven economy and limit exposure to major systemic risks. They believe in democratizing access to high-quality investment options at a reasonable price and offer solutions to investors of all shapes and sizes.
• Ariel Yusim, Co-Founder and CIO, Recap Investing. Recap is an asset management firm providing sustainable investment solutions to both retail and institutional clients.  Their approach applies systematic quantitative methods to offer investors bespoke portfolios tailored to preferences, return goals, and customized impact alignment. Prior to Recap, Ariel spent 17 years in a variety of quantitative finance roles on both the buy-side and sell-side.
  

ICF Members can pre-register at no cost. Non-Members may join for a $15 registration. Membership is available at levels for $25, $50 and $95, learn more. Login instructions for this Zoom videoconference will be emailed after your registration is completed.