By Geoffrey on August 16, 2017
On August 16, 2017 Reuters reported that several investors are shying away from exposure to Venezuelan bonds due to the economic and socio-political situation in the country, which raises default as well as reputation risk. The article explains that BlueBay Asset Management, Credit Suisse and Standard Life Investments have all either reduced their exposure to Venezuela already or are currently reviewing it.
According to the article, “(s)creening sovereign debt for environmental, social and governance reasons — known as ESG — is in its infancy compared with well-established practice in equity investment.”
Yet the article notes that this niche is growing, with dedicated ESG bond funds, integration of ESG issues into credit scores and academic-industry research demonstrating a correlation between improving political risk in emerging market countries and bond outperformance.
You may read the article on the Reuters internet site.
Posted in 2017, Fixed Income, Venezuela
By Geoffrey on August 11, 2017
On August 11, 2017 TriplePundit reported on announcement by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that it had “reached an agreement with five multinationals who promised to promote ethical recruiting throughout their entire supply chains.
The companies, Ford, General Motors, Hormel, Marriott and Michael Kors, told the ICCR that they would adopt “no-fees” recruitment policies, which advocacy groups for years have said are crucial in reducing problems such as bonded labor, the loss of identification documents such as passports and other labor rights violations.
These five companies’ shift in policy comes after a long ‘No Fees’ campaign ICCR has led in partnership with NGOs and intergovernmental organizations.”
You may read the article on the TriplePundit internet site.
Posted in 2017, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), United States of America