Calvert Social Index Releases New List

Calvert Investments on Monday released the reconstituted Calvert Social Index; the list was effective at the close of business on Friday. There are 662 companies in the reconstituted list, with an average weighted market capitalization of $66.4 billion. The previous Index members' average weighted market capitalization totaled $68.6 billion; the Russell 1000 is $71.4 billion.

The Calvert Social Index, according to the company, is a broad-based, rigorously constructed benchmark for measuring the performance of large, U.S.-based socially responsible companies. As of Sept.16, the four largest sectors in the Index are information technology, financials, health care and consumer discretionary.

The Index is constituted from among the 1,000 largest companies in the U.S., based on total market capitalization, included in the Dow Jones Total Market Index. Each company is analyzed by Calvert's sustainability research department, which examines such factors as government and ethics, indigenous people's rights, environment, and several others. The stocks that meet Calvert's criteria are then included in the Index.