Mobilizing Donor Advised Funds for Impact Investing
More than $23 billion [1] was contributed to donor advised funds (DAFs) in the United States in 2016, yet only a minor fraction of donor advised fund assets are invested for positive…
Opportunity Zones: Positive intentions, many questions
On October 19th, the U. S. Treasury Department issued proposed regulations regarding Opportunity Zones and Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOFs). Investors have questioned whether Opportunity Zones and QOFs that invest in these zones would…
Quarterly Market Update and Outlook: Tough Comparisons in 2019
Summary: Tough Comparisons in 2019 2019 is shaping up to be a more challenging year for investors than 2018: S&P 500 earnings growth is forecast to be cut in half.…
Considering ESG Factors in Fixed Income Investing: A guide for asset owners
Executive Summary Access our full report here . Much has been written about the strategies, theoretical and practical, that can be employed by asset managers to integrate Environmental, Social and…
Investing to Advance Racial Equity: Practical ways to tackle economic inequality
Executive Summary Access our full report here . The US legacy of inequality based on race and ethnicity is rooted in centuries-old policies and practices that were designed to provide greater…
The Data Privacy Puzzle
Who owns consumer data? Do consumers trust companies with their data? Will consumers embrace new technologies that reveal more information about them to companies? Are companies ready to respond to changing attitudes about consumer data? These…
Quarterly Market Update and Outlook: Strengthening Headwinds
Summary: Strengthening Headwinds While the global economic environment remains relatively healthy, strengthening headwinds that are largely policy-driven are creating challenges for major asset classes. Governments in the U. S. , Canada, Europe and…
Quarterly Market Update and Outlook: Volatility on the Rise
A key issue for investors is that the business cycle is moving into an increasingly mature phase. The U. S. economy is now in its ninth year of expansion, is one of the…
Investing for Impact and Performance: The Essentials
Executive summary: The language of impact. At Cornerstone Capital Group, we apply the discipline of environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis along with financial analysis in assessing…
Water Investing in 2018: Near-term crises and technology for long-term trends
In this report, we examine which trends may emerge to catalyze private water investing and how investors gain exposure to opportunities for investing in solutions. Water scarcity is an…
Equity Outlook: Still Positive, Risks Increasing Modestly
Summary Even as stock price volatility has increased in 2018, the U. S. equity outlook remains fundamentally sound. Strength in corporate profitability is broad-based, with nine of the eleven sectors in the…
Structural Complicity: Sexual and gender-based violence as an emerging investment risk
“Time’s Up”… #MeToo … allegations of abusive behavior by corporate chiefs … the groundswell of public attention to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is revealing how pervasive it is at all levels of society, in…
Equity Outlook: Fundamentally Sound, Valuations Still Key
On January 26, 2018 the S&P 500 closed at a record high, and up 7% for the year to date. On February 5, the S&P 500 was down 1% for the year-to-date, reflecting a…
Equity Outlook: Tax Reform an Earnings Wildcard in 2018
Summary: Robust Earnings Environment. The combination of favorable bottom-up factors (sales growth, margin expansion) and a solid economic environment (synchronized global growth) has created a healthy earnings environment.…
Peak Uncertainty: Evaluating oil company governance at the dawn of the electric transport age
Executive Summary Can investors be confident that International Oil Companies (IOCs) are sustainable for the long term? Technological, policy and market trends intended to mitigate climate change threaten permanent displacement of oil demand.…
Blockchain: Rearranging Trust
Trust: • assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something • dependence on something future or contingent: hope • reliance on future payment for property (such as merchandise) delivered A ‘trustless’…
Making Sense of Blockchain Opportunities
Executive Summary: A blockchain taxonomy for investors. Blockchain technology is being used in a growing diversity of applications, offering a complex array of investment opportunities. While the technology is so…
August 2017 Equity Outlook: Tough Comparisons in 2018
Executive Summary Earnings Growth Set to Slow in 2018. S&P margins and earnings are now at record levels, while sales growth has accelerated in recent quarters. Likely reflecting tough comparisons,…
Equity Outlook: US Equities on Track for More Gains in 2017
Executive Summary Accelerating Earnings Growth. With earnings reporting season about to begin, Q2 2017 S&P 500 operating earnings are forecast to rise 19% from year-ago levels, an acceleration from the 13%…
Governance and the Ungovernable: Implications of Blockchain Proliferation
Overview Theory and politics. The blockchain and related innovations represent a new and relatively complex set of potential investment opportunities. The technology has received significant attention from a range of…
POPULAR POSTS
- September 12, 2018Investing to Advance Racial Equity: Practical ways to tackle economic inequality
- August 21, 2018The Data Privacy Puzzle
- September 18, 2018Considering ESG Factors in Fixed Income Investing: A guide for asset owners
- November 1, 2018Opportunity Zones: Positive intentions, many questions
- July 23, 2018Quarterly Market Update and Outlook: Strengthening Headwinds