Celebrating a Decade of Shareholder Advocacy First Affirmative reached an important milestone at the end of 2018, marking 10 years since we launched our advocacy program, completing our first full year of direct corporate engagement in 2009. We have since pursued an increasingly ambitious advocacy agenda to expand our engagement reach and impact. Our Ongoing […]
It’s (still) the Earnings… By Theresa Gusman Ushering in a period of asynchronous and decelerating global economic and profit growth and negative earnings surprises, equity markets fell amid volatile trading in the fourth quarter, erasing gains for the year in the US. US equities slid 13.5% in the fourth quarter, overwhelming increases through the first […]
Economy Moderates — Too Much? By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief Economist The third-quarter economic growth moderated from the torrid second-quarter expansion of 4.2% annualized, reflecting a healthy 3.5% growth rate. Did the pace continue to slow in the fourth quarter or did the economy rebound to the second quarter level? What is my forecast for […]
It’s the Earnings… By Theresa Gusman U.S. equities surged 7.71% in the third quarter as earnings remained strong. The MSCI KLD 400 Social Index underperformed this quarter, but continued to track the broader market this year. U.S. interest rates and the dollar continued higher, along with the economy. Non-U.S. equities showed signs of life, as […]
One for the Record Books By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief Economist In spite of growing trade war tensions, especially with China, one would not expect a robust economic showing during the third quarter. Yet the economy continues the expansion that began in 2009. In fact, I want to highlight a couple of records that […]
The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Targets for Positive Impact By James Griffitts On September 25th, 2015, all 193 member states of the United Nations adopted a set of 17 goals aiming to “end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda,” to be met by 2030. […]
Download PDF As Good As It Gets By Theresa Gusman Following a brief first quarter hiatus, the US equity market resumed climbing a wall of worry in the second quarter. International markets did not follow suit, with significant losses in emerging markets. As we look toward the second half and 2019, the outlook for global […]
The Geo-Political Winds of Change are Blowing By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief EconomistDownload PDF In my first quarter Economic Commentary, I stated, “The actions taken the first quarter by the President pose the greatest long-term risk to the economy of any decisions in my lifetime.” Specifically, I shared my concern about the newly enacted […]
Can 43 Shares Make a Difference? YES! By Holly TestaDownload the PDF The issue: The retail sale of products containing methylene chloride and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Commonly found in paint strippers, these chemicals have been linked to dozens of deaths by asphyxiation and heart attack, and are suspected carcinogens. In spite of the serious hazards presented, these […]
Market Commentary – April 2018
