Country Indices Flash Report - September 2019
The month ended with political drama dominating headlines, after House Speaker Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Muted market reaction did little to spoil a positive September, suggesting that economic and trade considerations remain more important as drivers of stock prices.
Corporate Engagement Update | Fall 2019
Since the close of the 2019 Proxy Season, we have seen more corporate engagement opportunities in the form of sign-on letters. Sign-on letters allow shareholders to outline specific environmental, social or governance issues and provide a call to action. The organizations with whom we partner, such as Ceres, ICCR and As You Sow, are constantly vetting these opportunities and are often leading the engagement efforts.
Philip Morris Altria Merger? Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me
In the beginning, socially responsible investment firms (SRI/ESG) avoided Big Tobacco because the product was damaging to individuals and society, and the industry’s targeting of the poor and young was seen as beyond the pale. It was a moral stand. By the 1990s, this sentiment began to trickle up to institutional investors.