Greenhushing — the withholding of sustainability milestones and other environmental investment goals by institutional investors and investee companies — is a trend that could already be on the way out, says Mary Jane McQuillen, head of environmental, social and governance investing at ClearBridge Investments, a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton Investments. The effects of greenhushing are expected […]
New U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission listing requirements that impact compensation clawbacks could create conflicts with domestic employment laws for Canadian companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. The rules are expected to take effect on Oct. 2, 2023, with compliance mandated by Dec. 1, 2023. They require all issuers on U.S. exchanges to adopt mandatory […]
When Richard Manley, chief sustainability officer at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, joined the organization as managing director and head of sustainable investing in 2019, global financial markets were slowly dialling up the focus and integration of environmental, social and governance factors into investment strategies. Over the last three years — amid the ongoing […]
It appears some institutional investors are aware of activist campaigns before they become public, according to new research. A working paper by three assistant professors of finance — the University of Northern Iowa’s Ryan Flugum, the University of Rhode Island’s Choonsik Lee and the University of South Carolina’s Matthew Souther — found some institutional investors […]
The debate surrounding how institutional investors use proxy voting is heating up. The contention hinges on guidance the Securities and Exchange Commission released earlier this year on the activities of proxy-advisory firms. It says that when proxy-advisory firms provide proxy-voting advice to their investor clients, it counts as proxy solicitations. That, in turn, means those […]
Public pension plans rely on the help of investment advisory firms, but do politics play a role in which firms they choose to work with? A paper co-written by William Beggs, an assistant professor of finance at the University of San Diego School of Business and Thuong Harvison, a PhD candidate at the University of […]
While investors want more disclosure and transparency, it can come with consequences. When the Securities and Exchange Commission launches an investigation of a firm for financial fraud, it’s voluntary for managers to disclose this. And even when the investigation doesn’t result in charges, firms that voluntarily disclose they were under investigation have significant negative returns […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada has written the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, noting there shouldn’t be increased regulations on proxy advisory firms as this could cost pension plans without having clear benefits. This comes in response to a roundtable the SEC held on the topic in November 2018. Topics on the agenda […]
A group of retail broker-dealers, banks, financial services firms, and global market makers is gearing up to submit its application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a new equities exchange. The Members Exchange or MEMX, is an initiative whereby founding members Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, Citadel Securities, E*TRADE, Fidelity Investments, Morgan […]
In a world of volatility, where pension investors are in it for the long haul, could a stock exchange focused on the long term be helpful? The people behind the recently proposed Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) think so. In November the LTSE filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking to create a […]