Buy side Archive

Despite a range of macro headwinds, the war in Ukraine and a bear market in stocks, equity funds eked out positive flows on a global basis during the first half of 2022, according to new research from Morningstar. During the first six months of the year, equity funds recorded $131 bn of inflows, a rise of 0.47 percent, says the research firm. Investor appetite moderated strongly during the half-year, however, with $180 bn of inflows in the first quarter and $49 bn o...

Half of investors want corporates to shore up balance sheets amid what Bank of America (BofA) describes as ‘dire levels of investor pessimism’. This is now the most popular choice among investors responding to the monthly BofA Fund Manager Survey (FMS) – far more so than looking for companies to increase capex (29 percent) or buybacks (15 percent). The July survey shows global growth expectations to be at an all-time low at net -79 percent. The f...

With different standards around the world and the SEC, ISSB and EU proposing different frameworks, inconsistency around ESG terminology and methodology is a ‘major concern’ among global financial institutions working across jurisdictions, IROs heard during the NIRI 2022 conference. ...

– Reuters (paywall) reported that a growing number of large US companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to access abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, according to legal experts. Amazon.com, Apple, Lyft, Micr...