Greenwich Roundtable | ESG Path to Prosperity or Philanthropic Confusion

1/17/2019
Our topic ESG: Path to Prosperity or Philanthropic Confusion is our first look at a subject we’ve resisted for way too long. Our mission is the discovery of opportunity sets and inefficient pricing. Nowadays with a flood of liquidity, highly efficient pricing and low returns, we’re shifting our search into value creation. Today we’re blessed with three intellectual heavy weights who clarified the issues. Our moderator Bob Dannhauser leads CFA Institute’s policy team in Washington and Brussels. He reminded us that socially responsible investing started 40 years ago was an economic power that was used to circumvent political channels for social goals. The Sullivan Principles and their impact on South Africa was an early example. ESG has evolved into a potential form of risk management and a source of returns. But so far, the evidence hasn’t demonstrated that ESG enhances returns in the aggregate.