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Ambiguity cloaks ethical investment message
Funds appear unsure about their underlying aims, environmental concerns or turning a profit, but research is sharpening focus
‘Greenwash’ muddies the waters
Many investors are unaware of the stark differences that sometimes exist between funds that are ethically managed – good – and funds that seek to capitalise on the business opportunities of climate change – green
Some tips for the contrarian
What if you are among the declining band who still believe all this global warming business is hokum – alternatively, what if you are fully persuaded of the science behind climate change, but are wary of following the crowds when it comes to investing?
Demand helping to whet appetites
Given the growing economic and social importance of clean water, and the potential oil-like riches to be made from supplying it, it will come of no surprise that asset managers have created vehicles for those eager to surf this trend
Ethanol a long-term fuel, not a passing fad
Arguments over the sustainability of biofuels continue, but the high price of other fuels means that interest in biofuels is guaranteed to continue
US develops taste for greener bites
Wealthy US investors are primed for sustainable investing but adviser expertise and products remain in short supply
Company analysis proves a lucrative business
Only a decade ago, the idea of a standalone firm researching the environmental and social impact of corporate activity would have been dismissed out of hand – today, green investment and, consequently, analysis of green issues is big business
One-time niche evolving into core line of business
Once, the key question for pension funds considering ethical investments was not how much of their fund they should invest in socially responsible assets but whether they should do so at all – times have changes
The appliance of science helps clean technology mature
Investing in start-up companies producing things green is a good way to feel warm inside but does it make financial sense, especially when the sector is so risky
Hot new opportunities
Did the financial markets anticipate last year’s pattern of unusual weather better than they did the tide of subprime mortgage blow-ups in the US? If investors made use of weather derivatives they stood to gain
