[5 min read, open as pdf]

• Weaning Europe off Russian oil & gas has become a political goal
• For key EU economies, it could prove to be a challenge
• The process will take time and money and will result in higher prices

 
As a result of the Russia/Ukraine war, there is a political goal to reduce European dependency on Russian oil and gas supplies and to reduce the indirect financing of the Russian economy.
We explore this topic further in conversation with Nadia Kazakova of Renaissance Energy Advisors.

[3 min read,  open as pdf]
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• Adapting portfolios for inflation
• Income generation in a negative real yield world
• Positioning portfolios for climate transition

 
2021 in review
Our 2021 market roundup summarises another strong year for markets in almost all asset classes except for Bonds which remain under pressure as interest rates are expected to rise and inflation ticks up.
Listed private equity (shares in private equity managers) performed best at +43.08%yy in GBP terms.  US was the best performing region at +30.06%.
Real asset exposures, such as Water, Commodities and Timber continued to rally in face of rising inflation risk, returning +32.81%, +28.22% and +17.66% respectively.

2022 outlook
We are continuing in this “curiouser, through-the-looking glass” world.  Traditionally you bought bonds for income, and equity for risk.  Now it’s the other way round.
Only equities provide income yields that have the potential to keep ahead of inflation.  Bonds carry increasing risk of loss in real terms as inflation and interest rates rise.
Real yields, which are bond yields less the inflation rate, are negative making traditional Bonds which aren’t linked to inflation highly unattractive.  Bonds that are linked to inflation are highly sensitive to rising interest rates (called duration risk), so are not attractive either.
How to navigate markets in this context?
The big three themes for the year ahead are, in our view:

1. Adapting portfolios for inflation
2. Income generation in a negative real yield world
3. Positioning portfolios for climate transition

We explore each in turn, as well as reviewing updated Capital Market Assumptions for expected returns from different asset classes.

See full report in pdf
Attend our 2022 Outlook webinar

[7 min read, Open as pdf]

• Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is critical
• ‘Green-washing’ is a problem
• Selection methodology is key

 
“A code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening and the evidence is irrefutable.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussing the most recent Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in August 2021.

For advisers looking to incorporate a Net Zero approach into a client portfolio, where ESG preferences are high, we would advocate a three-step approach.

1.Understand the Carbon footprint of your existing portfolio
2.Consider how substitutions of traditional with ESG-screened funds could reduce that Carbon footprint
3.Consider whether, and to what extent, an allocation towards climate solutions, which by their nature may be higher risk investments, will actively contribute to achieving the path to net zero.

A bias towards ESG and a moderate investment in climate solutions, can help achieve those objectives for those clients who seek climate-oriented values in their investment portfolio, as well as their day-to-day living,

For full article, Open as pdf

[5 min read, open as pdf]
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• In June 2018 we launched a Zero Carbon Portfolio for a university endowment fund
• The objective was to deliver the performance of a global equity index whilst fully excluding companies with exposure to fossil fuels and positively including Socially Responsible Investments
• In addition to a successful back-test, the live portfolio has delivered on objectives

What is Zero Carbon investing
The Zero Carbon Society at Cambridge University is one of many campaign groups calling for university endowment funds to divest from all fossil fuels.  This has been termed “Zero Carbon” investing.
The divestment trend started in the US in 2012 when the city of Seattle divested from fossil fuels.  In 2014, Stanford University followed suit.  Campaigns across the US and UK led to other universities following suit.  Some of the reasons universities found it hard to ensure that their investments were “fossil free” is because:

• Collectives: Use of collective investment schemes meant it was hard to pressure fund houses to change investment style, on something that would affect all clients
• Alternatives: Use of hedge funds and alternative strategies meant it was hard to vouch for full exclusion on a look-through basis
• Trackers: Use of low-cost tracker funds meant indirect exposure to energy stocks
• Definitional uncertainty: if you invest in a FTSE 100 future does that create “exposure”?
• Opportunity Set: Concern about a narrowing of the investment opportunity set
• Methodology: low carbon and ESG funds could nonetheless include energy companies with strong green credentials and substantial investment in renewable energy

The challenge
When set this challenge by a university college, we proposed to do two things.  Firstly to create a Zero Carbon SRI benchmark to show how Zero Carbon investing could be done whilst also focusing on other ESG considerations.  Secondly, to create a Zero Carbon portfolio to deliver on the primary aim of full divestment.
 
Creating a Zero Carbon SRI benchmark
We wanted to create a benchmark for the endowment’s managers that not only screened out fossil fuels, but went further to screen out one of the main consumer of fossil fuels, the Utilities sector, as well as other extractive industries – namely the Materials sector.  We also wanted to screen in companies with high ESG scores and low controversy risk and cover the global equity opportunity set.  We worked with MSCI to create a custom index, the catchily-named (for taxonomy reasons) the MSCI ACWI ex Energy ex Materials ex Utilities SRI Index (the “Custom Index”, please refer to Notice below).

Creating a Zero Carbon portfolio
The second part of the project was to create an implementable investment strategy that maintained a similar risk-return profile to World Equities, but fully excluded the Energy, Materials and Utilities sectors.  Rather than creating a fund which introduces additional layer of costs, this was achievable using sector-based ETF portfolio.

This portfolio meets the primary objective of creating a Zero Carbon, fully divested, world equity mandate.  In the absence of ESG/SRI sector-based ETFs, it is not yet possible to create a sector-adjusted ESG/SRI ETF portfolio.  But we expact that to change in the future.

Custom Index Performance
The back-test of both the custom index could deliver similar risk-return characteristics to global equities.  The concern was would those back-test results continue once the index and portfolio went live.  The answer is yes.  Whilst the custom index has shown outperformance, that was not the objective.  The objective was to access the same opportunity set, but with the fossil-free, ESG and socially responsible screens in place.

Fig.1. Custom Index performance simulation from June 2012 & live performance from June 2018

Zero Carbon Portfolio performance
Similarly, the Zero Carbon portfolio has delivered comparable performance to MSCI World – hence no “missing out” on the opportunity set whilst being fully divested from fossil fuels.  Although not intentional, the exclusion of Energy, Materials & Utilities has benefitted performance and meant that the performance, net of trading and ongoing ETF costs, is ahead of the MSCI World Index.

Fig.2. Zero Carbon ETF portfolio performance from June 2018

Summary
Whatever your views on the pros and cons of divestment, Zero Carbon investing is not an insurmountable challenge, and the combination of index solutions and ETF portfolios solutions creates a range of implementable options for asset owners and asset managers alike.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE CUSTOM INDEX
With reference to the MSCI ACWI ex Energy ex Materials ex Utilities SRI Index (“Custom Index”). Where Source: MSCI is noted, the following notice applies.
Source: MSCI.  The MSCI data is comprised of a custom index calculated by MSCI, and as requested by, Queens’ College Cambridge.  The MSCI data is for internal use only and may not be redistributed or used in connection with creating or offering any securities, financial products or indices.  Neither MSCI nor any third party involved in or relating to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data (the “MSCI Parties”) makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and the MSCI Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to such data.  Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the MSCI Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.