Roughly 25% of all investable assets globally, or more than $23 trillion, is invested in impact or environmental, social and governance products today. Most of this is invested on the equity side, as the fixed income ESG area is still nascent — for now.
In fact, according to Cornerstone Capital Group, only $385 billion has been allocated to fixed income ESG investing. Further, most "green bond" issuances fall into the $10 million to $100 million bracket. And there's only a limited number of issuers of sustainable bonds. ESG equity funds, according to an MSCI analysis, outnumber ESG fixed income funds 3 to 1 globally and 4 to 1 in the United States.
That said, Cornerstone equity strategist Michael Geraghty believes fixed income ESG is an area advisors should counsel their clients on, especially those who want to spread impact investing throughout their portfolio.
"This is a relatively new and unexplored area," Geraghty told ThinkAdvisor. "Quite a bit has been written about how asset managers use ESG in fixed income portfolios, but very little has been written on how asset owners or clients can incorporate ESG into fixed income portfolios."
Cornerstone's research paper, "Considering ESG Factors in Fixed Income Investing," written by Geraghty; Craig Metrick, head of institutional consulting; and Jennifer Leonard, director of asset manager due dilligence, provides an overview of this "complex" market, and how investors can take advantage of it for ESG investing.
However, Geraghty warns, "It is different from equities. There are a number of ways in fixed income to invest, but it's a new area with new products. Interested investors should speak to their investment advisor before jumping in."
More Fixed Income in Portfolios?
There are three key reasons investors should incorporate ESG into the fixed income allocation of their portfolio, according to the paper: values alignment, investing for quantifiable impact, and achieving risk-adjusted returns. Some products such as green bonds may achieve all three of these objectives, although the authors state these factors are not mutually exclusive.
The paper focuses on debt instruments backed by both public (e.g. government and municipalities, supranational development financial institutions) and private (e.g. corporate) issuers. "There are a growing number of opportunities for asset owners to invest in fixed income vehicles and securities that provide funding for impactful projects or sustainable companies, and that offer competitive yields," the authors state.
