ESG Investing in Recent Years: New Insights from Old Challenges

23 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2020

See all articles by Angelo Drei

Angelo Drei

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Théo Le Guenedal

Amundi Technology

Frederic Lepetit

Amundi Institute

Vincent Mortier

Amundi Asset Management

Thierry Roncalli

Amundi Asset Management; University of Evry

Takaya Sekine

Amundi Institute

Date Written: November 30, 2019

Abstract

This research is an update of the study that we published last year (Bennani et al., 2018) and that explored the impact of ESG investing on asset pricing in the stock market. It extends the original period 2010-2017 by adding eighteen months from January 2018 to June 2019. These new results confirm the previous results as we reach the same essential conclusions once again. ESG investing tended to penalize both passive and active ESG investors between 2010 and 2013. Contrastingly, ESG investing was a source of outperformance from 2014 to 2019 in Europe and North America. Moreover, ESG can be considered as a risk factor in the Eurozone, while it continues to be an alpha strategy in North America. However, the last 18 months exhibit new interesting patterns. First, we observe a transatlantic divide since the results for North America and the Eurozone are different for the recent period. Second, we document a partial ordering between ESG ratings and performance that can be explained by a shift from a static to a dynamic approach to ESG investing. Third, we note some discrepancies between active and passive management. Fourth, the social pillar seems to have gained traction these last years, and is no longer the laggard pillar. Fifth, factor investing and ESG investing are more and more connected. In what follows, we develop and explain these five key findings.

Keywords: ESG, environmental, social, governance, asset pricing, active management, passive management, factor investing

JEL Classification: G11, M14, Q01

Suggested Citation

Drei, Angelo and Le Guenedal, Théo and Lepetit, Frederic and Mortier, Vincent and Roncalli, Thierry and Sekine, Takaya, ESG Investing in Recent Years: New Insights from Old Challenges (November 30, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3683469 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3683469

Angelo Drei

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Théo Le Guenedal

Amundi Technology ( email )

Paris
France

Frederic Lepetit

Amundi Institute ( email )

90 Boulevard Pasteur
Paris, 75015
France

Vincent Mortier

Amundi Asset Management

90 Boulevard Pasteur
Paris, 75015
France

Thierry Roncalli (Contact Author)

Amundi Asset Management ( email )

90 Boulevard Pasteur
Paris, 75015
France

University of Evry ( email )

Boulevard Francois Mitterrand
F-91025 Evry Cedex
France

Takaya Sekine

Amundi Institute ( email )

90 Boulevard Pasteur
Paris, 75015
France

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