Dissecting Green Returns

58 Pages Posted: 14 Jul 2021 Last revised: 23 Jun 2022

See all articles by Lubos Pastor

Lubos Pastor

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Robert F. Stambaugh

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Lucian A. Taylor

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: June 2021

Abstract

Green assets delivered high returns in recent years. This performance reflects unexpectedly strong increases in environmental concerns, not high expected returns. German green bonds outperformed their higher-yielding non-green twins as the "greenium" widened, and U.S. green stocks outperformed brown as climate concerns strengthened. Despite that outperformance, we estimate lower expected returns for green stocks than for brown, consistent with theory. We estimate expected returns in two ways: ex ante, using implied costs of capital, and ex post, using realized returns purged of shocks from climate concerns and earnings. A theoretically motivated green factor explains much of value stocks' recent underperformance.

Keywords: ESG, green bonds, green factor, greenium, sustainable investing

JEL Classification: G11, G12

Suggested Citation

Pastor, Lubos and Stambaugh, Robert F. and Taylor, Lucian A., Dissecting Green Returns (June 2021). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP16260, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3886729

Lubos Pastor (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.ChicagoGSB.edu/fac/lubos.pastor/

Robert F. Stambaugh

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

The Wharton School, Finance Department
University of Pennsylvania
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Lucian A. Taylor

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

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Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

HOME PAGE: http://finance.wharton.upenn.edu/~luket/

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