We’ve noted here before that investor enthusiasm for goo-goo “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) investing is fading fast, but it is good to see the Wall Street Journal certify the point with this headline and story:
Wall Street’s ESG Craze Is Fading
Wall Street rushed to embrace sustainable investing just a few years ago. Now it is quietly closing funds or scrubbing their names after disappointing returns that have investors cashing out billions.
The about-face comes after tightened regulatory oversight, higher interest rates that have slammed clean-energy stocks and a backlash that has made environmental, social and corporate-governance investing a political target. . .
The third quarter was the first time more sustainable funds liquidated or removed ESG criteria from their investment practices than were added, according to Morningstar. That is a reversal from not that long ago, when companies were rebranding faltering funds to cash in on the billions of dollars flowing into sustainable investment products.
Some visuals:
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