Many investors shared their latest thoughts on the ESG topic in Q1-Q3.  Key takeaways include:

ESG Discussion

*Blackrock, one of if not the biggest proponent of ESG investing, published an annual message earlier this year that reinforced Blackrock’s core mission, which is to deliver superior returns for their investing clients.  After some voicing views that perhaps the money manager had leaned too far forward in highlighting the importance of ESG considerations in their security selection process,  many viewed the reiteration of their core mission of delivering returns as a nuanced refinement of the strong emphasis on ESG that has characterized the firm’s stance on this topic over the past few years.

*Many money managers have shifted their tone somewhat with respect to the prioritization of ESG criteria in security selection.  We will be spending more time on this shift in coming days.  We look forward to sharing our observations soon.