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…
Global Equity Outlook: A Global Earnings Rebound
Executive Summary Climbing Out of the Trough. In the US, the Europe/Australasia/Far East (EAFE) region and in Emerging Markets, earnings seem on track to keep climbing out of the 2016 trough.…
Retail Automation: Stranded Workers? Opportunities and risks for labor and automation
Executive summary (download full report here ) The retail landscape is experiencing unprecedented change in the face of disruptive forces, one of the most recent and powerful being the rapid rise of automation…
Global Earnings Synthesis: Earnings Growth Likely to Determine the Direction of Stock Prices in 2017
Executive Summary 2017 Estimates Still Seem Overly Optimistic. While the initial estimate of 2015 earnings was below the initial estimate of 2014 earnings, and the initial 2016 estimate was below the…
Regional and Sector Strategy Monthly Update: March 2017
Executive Summary Sector Strategy: Upgrade Information Technology (strong relative earnings momentum outweighs rich valuation); Downgrade Utilities (weak relative earnings momentum). Financials remains the most favored sector; Health…
The Uber of Toxic Corporate Cultures? Five Governance Questions for Uber
Executive Summary In anticipation of Uber’s possible 2017 IPO, investors should carefully consider whether the company has the optimal governance structure and leadership team to successfully manage its future growth.…
The Art of the Possible: Investing to Address Inequality
Executive Summary In this report we identify investment opportunities that offer competitive financial returns while helping to address concerns about increasing levels of inequality and income stagnation. The rise of populist…
At the Intersection: Where ESG Matters to Factor Investing
Executive Summary From “How” to “Where” — For many investors, the conversation has shifted from how ESG matters (i. e. , performance) to where it matters. When ESG matters to an…
POPULAR POSTS
- February 12, 2018Structural Complicity: Sexual and gender-based violence as an emerging investment risk
- November 29, 2017Blockchain: Rearranging Trust
- December 14, 2017Peak Uncertainty: Evaluating oil company governance at the dawn of the electric transport age
- April 2, 2018Investing for Impact and Performance: The Essentials
- January 22, 2018Equity Outlook: Tax Reform an Earnings Wildcard in 2018