Chart of the Week: April 27, 2026: Evaluating Focused Sustainable Index Funds
The sustainable‑index market now comprises 151 focused funds and ETFs with $167 billion in assets as of March 31, 2026. The ten largest vehicles, ranging from $4.6 billion to $23.4 billion, hold roughly half of the segment’s AUM and delivered 12‑month returns between 4.3% and 45.7%. Expense ratios vary widely from 0.03% to 1.99%, and nine of the top ten incorporate ESG integration, while the First Trust GRID ETF does not. The report outlines nine criteria—size, cost, performance, securities lending, ESG approach, voting rights, reporting, and manager reputation—that investors should weigh when selecting a fund.
Chart of the Week: April 20, 2026: Turbulent Month of March for Sustainable Taxable Bond Funds
In March 2026 sustainable taxable bond funds experienced a sharp downturn, shedding roughly $5.2 bn in net assets. Their average net return slipped 2.1%, lagging behind the 1.3% return of comparable non‑ESG bond funds. Outflows were most pronounced in Europe‑focused ESG...
Chart of the Week: April 13, 2026: The Sustainable Funds that Survived March
In March 2026, sustainable mutual funds and ETFs largely mirrored the broader market’s slump, with the S&P 500 down nearly 5% and global equities falling around 11%. Only 2% of the 1,103 sustainable fund‑share classes posted positive returns, the highest being...
Chart of the Week: April 7, 2026: Climate Risks Ranked Lower by CFOs
The latest McKinsey CFO Pulse Survey shows climate risk falling to the bottom of CFOs’ risk rankings despite a sharp rise in billion‑dollar weather disasters. Geopolitical instability, trade‑policy shifts and inflation now dominate concerns, with 37% citing geopolitics as the...
Crane Bond Fund Symposium 2026: The Case for Fixed Income in Sustainable Investing
At the Crane Bond Fund Symposium 2026 in Boston, Henry Shilling argued that sustainable fixed‑income investing is vastly under‑represented, accounting for less than 1% of the $7.6 trillion taxable and municipal bond market. He highlighted the structural fit of bonds—explicit capital...