Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: More than half of institutional investors think ESG is more important because of Covid-19, said a study. This is particularly the case among European investors - 62% of them now attach a greater significance to ESG.
According to the annual Schroders Institutional Investor Study, North America is an outlier in this respect, with 52% stating that the pandemic has had no impact on the importance of ESG investing, while 7% feel it is less important.
Investors in Asia-Pacific have the lowest confidence in their expectations, with 38% saying they are confident, 61% somewhat confident, and 1% not confident at all.
That compares with Europe, where 53% of institutions are confident of returns, up from 32% last year but slightly down from their position in 2019.
Only one in six respondents said they were lowering their return target, despite continued low rates, with 53% keeping it the same.
Institutional investors expect better returns Covid-19
The annual Schroders Institutional Investor Study, which polls 750 industry professionals in 26 locations across the globe, showed an average expected return of 6.4%, up from 5.6% a year earlier.
Almost half of the respondents estimate that their average annual total return will be above 6% over the next five years, with 13% expecting returns of more than 9%.
These expectations are higher than last year when only 35% of global investors thought they could return over 6% ...................... To view our full article Click here
|