EAGG News and Press, iShares ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond From 12/23/22

Summary Passive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has become increasingly active. It’s time for a rethink. As more investors look to align sustainability goals with their investments, global ESG assets under management (AUM) have soared from $2.2 trillion in 2...

Summary ESG factors have been widely used as a set of criteria in a manager’s risk assessment toolkit. Making the wrong call with respect to ESG can sometimes mean excluding certain sectors based on these considerations alone. ESG factors are part of the global risk complex a...

Summary The transition to net-zero emissions has become one of the key drivers that will define the global economy over the decades to come. The Paris Agreement and national climate change plans anticipate a gradual transition to a low-carbon world – not an overnight switch to ze...

Summary 1 or more years of additional interest-rate duration in ‘23 vs. ‘22, to be grown over time: As central banks slow, or pause, their tightening cycles, in sympathy with slowing economic growth and inflation. 6% to 6.5% of portfolio carry potential (including anticipa...

Summary As the stock market went up the first two days of the week, more shares transacted at rising prices. A leading retail-oriented broker indicated their clients have been buying mostly corporate/municipal bonds and commodities, while selling declining US government bonds. The t...

Summary Why are bonds taking a big hit? As the rate hike cycle moves closer to the end, could a generational opportunity in fixed income be emerging? How do long term capital market expectations look? Are GICs recommended? Rising interest rates have inflicted m...

Summary While it’s been a tough year, the Federal Reserve has done investors an enormous favor in terms of the attractiveness of a wide swath of fixed-income asset classes that today look a lot more attractive than a year ago. Jay Powell and the FOMC did raise the Fed funds rate ...

Summary As global warming worries approach critical mass, corporate bond investors expect issuers to be part of the solution. At the epicenter of the climate crisis are greenhouse gases (GHG), which all industries emit in one way or another. Most companies strive to shrink their emi...

Summary US President Joe Biden inked the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on August 16. This legislation will likely be transformative over the long term as it is the largest government-led investment in clean energy in US history. The US goal is to achieve a 50%-52% red...

Summary The average spread between the 10-year Treasury and the 30-year mortgage rate has averaged 1.7% since 1990 and now stands at 2.9%. Small and mid-cap stocks continue to look better technically than US large cap. The Russell 2000, S&P 600 and S&P 400 (midcap) index E...