Socially Responsible Investments Pounded in the First Quarter of 2008

Apr 7th, 2008 • Posted in: News

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the hammer fell harder on most other market segments, making SRI funds a comparatively attractive option

BOSTON
For the ethically minded, recent bad news contains a kernel of good news, according to a report from the Christian Science Monitor.

First, the bad news: Socially responsible funds took a beating in the first quarter of this year, as did the rest of the mutual-fund market.

But the ethical sector appeared to fare a little better than the rest of the market, according to the paper. “Socially responsible (SR) funds, which bring moral values to bear on stock selection, on the whole suffered slightly less in the first quarter than their unscreened peers, according to data from fund tracker Morningstar. Domestic SR equity funds performed better than 56 percent of peer funds in their respective categories,” the Monitor reports.

Part of the reason, according to experts interviewed by the Monitor, is that some socially responsible funds may be benefiting from the fact that recession-wary investors are shying away from cyclically sensitive stocks, such as defense contractors, which SR funds routinely avoid.

But MacDonald notes that many funds that specialize in alternative energy got clobbered in the first quarter because investors do not regard them as safe havens.

Source: Christian Science Monitor, Apr. 7.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Feb. 18 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 11 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 28 — Related Newsline story, Dec. 10, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 24, 2007.

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2 Responses »

1. Ethics Newsline » News » Economics and Ethics are Focus of Reports on April 21st, 2008 at 10:21 pm:

   [...] more information, see: Related Newsline story, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 31 [...]

2. Ethics Newsline » News » U.K. Teens Overwhelming Support Ethical Investment and Consumption: Poll on May 27th, 2008 at 6:59 pm:

   [...] see: Related Newsline story, May 19 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 21 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 25 — Related Newsline Commentary, Feb. 18. [...]

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