ESG Ratings: A Compass without Direction
August 2, 2022
We examine the recent concerns about the reliability of the assessments of ESG ratings providers. We review the demand for ESG information, the stated objectives of ESG ratings providers, how ratings are determined, the evidence of what they achieve, and structural aspects of the industry that potentially influence ratings. We find that while ESG ratings providers may convey important insights into the nonfinancial impact of companies, significant shortcomings exist in their objectives, methodologies, and incentives which detract from the informativeness of their assessments.
When Fortune Doesn’t Favor the Bold: Perils of Volatility for Wealth Growth and Preservation
May 12, 2022
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Value investing – buying securities that appear cheap relative to fundamentals – has a long history in financial markets. Explore our library of research on this famed topic.
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Rapid economic growth accompanied by large increases in prices for many goods and services has led to unusually high level of uncertainty around inflation. This may prompt investors to question how different inflationary outcomes can impact their portfolio and what they can do to reduce their portfolio's sensitivity. To address investors' questions, we have rounded up some of our best thinking on the topic.
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Diversification. Craftsmanship. What goes into building an effective portfolio? We’ve rounded up our best thinking on the topic.
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Trend following strategies have a track record of delivering strong long-term returns and diversifying performance during downturns for traditional assets – when investors may need it the most. Explore our research explaining how trend following could be incorporated into a portfolio and demonstrating its ability to generate strong performance across time and asset classes.
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Factor/Style Investing
Still Crazy After All This YTD
May 9, 2022
Over these additional three months, value’s returns, as we measure them, have continued apace. Since February, the value spread has fallen slightly, though it remains near its tech bubble peak, at around a 95th percentile. Reminder — a massive valuation dislocation says very little about the timing of when it falls back to earth. But it’s nice to see it start and still leave the spread incredibly high.
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