A silver lining in lagging ESG funds v. oil investments

Lower cost of capital suggests more money available for green energy products.

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 Image: firewings – stock.adobe.com

(Mark Hulbert, an author and longtime investment columnist, is the founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest; his Hulbert Ratings audits investment newsletter returns.)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) — Great news, climate-focused investors: The average sustainable fund this year is lagging the average fossil fuel fund.

You probably aren’t inclined to celebrate, of course. The hope of most climate-focused investors is that sustainable funds will help not only the climate but their investment returns as well. This most definitely has not been the case recently, however, as you can see from the chart below. In addition to lagging so far this year, the average sustainable fund has lagged the average fossil fuel fund over the trailing 1-, 3- and 5-year periods as well.