How ethical is it to invest in 'unethical' companies?

ETHICAL

clock • 4 min read

Neil Veitch, manager of the SVM All Europe Ethical fund, says encouraging companies viewed as ‘unethical' to improve their corporate behaviour is preferable to neglecting them as investment propositions.

Kendrick Lamar once said: “I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again.” While I am sure many would join me in giving ‘mad props’ to one of the hottest new acts in hip-hop (I have been assured Investment Week readers are au fait with the genre), investors who have followed his advice over the long-term have been well rewarded. USA Mutual’s Vice fund, which invests primarily in stocks in the tobacco, alcohol, gaming and defence industries, has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 since its launch in 2002. Apparently, it pays to be a sinner. As an analyst working on a socially responsibl...

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