The end of the year or beginning of the new one is a natural time for clients, advisors, and consultants to discuss portfolio goals. Given growing interest in ESG investing, this is a topic that is bound to come up in many conversations.
Catholic investors have a long past in responsible investing. The church added a new page to that history this month, and Dana Investment Advisors was honored to play a role in the process.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has updated its responsible investment guidelines. The church conducted its review with input from Catholic investors within the investment industry, including Dana’s Portfolio Manager Duane Roberts.
Style boxes have been a part of many asset allocation models for decades, but it might be time to break away. Current dynamics for both growth and value indices make style box investing seem riskier.
Below are five reasons investors may want to break away from style boxes, in favor of a more balanced and more simplistic, core equity strategy, which has broad market exposure to both styles, and invests in companies that have both growth and value characteristics:
The past 12 months have set up a favorable environment for active small cap managers, as company-specific fundamentals were rewarded by the market. Against that backdrop, Dana’s small cap Fund has delivered. The Fund has enjoyed a strong year of relative outperformance, returning 21.11% year to date and 56.28% for the 12 months ended Sept. 30. Those returns compare favorably to its benchmark Morningstar U.S. Small Core Index, which returned 12.98% and 42.68%, respectively, over the same time frames.
With Halloween approaching this weekend, we offer our own seasonal-themed blog: a look at 10 of the scariest moments in market history. Notably, many of the events occurred in October.
While the list was compiled only for the spirit of the season, we hope it also provides perspective: “scary” market events are an inevitable part of investing. But with a long-term view, and perspective that volatility is part of the process, we hope you stay the course through future volatility.
With billions flowing into the ESG and sustainable investing universe, investor interest is clearly growing. But what drives that interest varies and has a direct impact on which strategy is right for each investor.
Incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment analysis can identify risks and opportunities in the market. But investors desiring to improve the world around them must go a step further. Engaging with companies to address ESG issues plays an important role in creating a sustainable future.
This year, we’ve been impressed by progress on the engagement front, as key shareholder initiatives driven by Dana and other investors will force transparency at one of the world’s largest energy firms: Exxon Mobil. This blog looks at that engagement effort, and its implications.
Environmental, Social and Governance investing has grown considerably in the past five years, but there’s more than one inroad leading clients to the space. Is it a desire to improve the environment? A chance to address social justice issues? Or does your client see ESG primarily as a pathway to potentially better returns and less risk?
Should I take money off the table? It’s a natural question every time stocks hit a valley or peak.
But timing markets often lead to bad results. Stepping to the sidelines when stocks plumb new lows often means missing the rebound. And moving to cash to preserve gains when stocks hit new records can mean missing out when markets had more room to run.
During a career that has spanned more than 20 years at Dana Investments, portfolio manager Duane Roberts has seen management teams’ attitudes toward ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) issues change considerably. In a brief interview, he reflected on how the tenor of management teams has changed, particularly in recent years. Excerpts from that interview follow: