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...

To continue reading this article...

Join Investment Week for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
  • Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
  • Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
  • Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
  • Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes

Join now

 

Already an Investment Week
member?

Login

More on Investment

Stories of the Week: BoE holds interest rates; FCA: Name and shame consultation 'valid'; Concord sticks with offer for Hipgnosis

Stories of the Week: BoE holds interest rates; FCA: Name and shame consultation 'valid'; Concord sticks with offer for Hipgnosis

BoE; FCA; Concord: The biggest stories from the world of investment and asset management this week

Sarka Halas
clock 10 May 2024 • 1 min read
Partner Insight: Adding emerging market debt exposure? Look to local bonds.

Partner Insight: Adding emerging market debt exposure? Look to local bonds.

There are five factors that make a strong case for emerging markets in a global fixed income portfolio.

Arif Husain Head of Fixed Income and Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income, T.Rowe Price
clock 08 May 2024 • 6 min read
Partner Insight: Is it time to move to corporate bonds?

Partner Insight: Is it time to move to corporate bonds?

With interest rate cuts from central banks on the horizon, investors may want to consider moving some cash exposure to the natural first step: short dated high quality corporate bonds, says Ben Deane, Investment Director, Fixed Income - Fidelity International.

Sarka Halas
clock 07 May 2024 • 4 min read
Trustpilot