ESG-related issues have impacted different business sectors in more or less dramatic ways, and as governments, companies, and their stakeholders increase their engagement with these concerns, traditional industries seem to be staging significant transformations. In this module, we explore how ESG has influenced material business sector shifts in the areas of forest products, energy, transportation, dairy, and healthcare, among others, to enable you to home in on asking critical questions when performing fundamental analysis.

While the following webinar, “How to Make an Impact Through Credit Investing”, focuses on how heightened attention on ESG risk factors have impacted the businesses of certain high yield companies, Venk Reddy, founder and chief investment officer of Zeo Capital Advisors, also highlights several other related topics – including investment styles, such as ESG integrators and passive screeners, as well as discusses certain areas of concern, including green washing, and regulatory disclosures, which will be echoed in later lessons. Also, through this presentation, you’ll find out, among other objectives, how ESG analysis may be compared to credit analysis, why intentionality is a critical component in performing due diligence and company selection in a sustainable portfolio, as well as ways in which investors may be able to differentiate authentic management from marketing schemes.

The “How to Make an Impact Through Credit Investing” webinar continues with Venk Reddy, founder and CIO at Zeo Capital Advisors, addressing how high yield energy companies are generally managing the transition towards alternative energy, as well as the risk/reward profile of ESG-related vs non-ESG business sectors, and outlines a process for conducting fundamental analysis on an ESG-related, fixed income portfolio.

The “How to Make an Impact Through Credit Investing” webinar continues with Venk Reddy, founder and CIO at Zeo Capital Advisors, highlighting the importance of company character, including intentionality, as well as offering ways in which to approach ESG investing if self-managing, or outsourcing the management of, a fixed income portfolio.

In this module, we’ll take a deeper look at how the transportation sector is transforming in the wake of ESG-related concerns – and how, as a result, the supply and demand dynamics for certain financial assets, such as commodities, may change. The following webinar, “Batteries: Harnessing the Power of the Energy Transition”, presented by Nitesh Shah, research director at WisdomTree Europe, examines, among other topics, a proposed trajectory for electric vehicle sales, and how advancements in battery technology are opening new markets – from electric vehicles to energy storage systems. Shah also details how he expects electric vehicles to drive lithium-ion battery growth and highlights how certain commodities may benefit from their increased production. He further outlines how certain equities may also benefit across all parts of the value chain.

The “Batteries: Harnessing the Power of the Energy Transition” webinar continues with Nitesh Shah, research director at WisdomTree Europe, providing an outlook on the costs of batteries, as well as a forward-looking comparison of purchasing electric vs internal combustion engine vehicles. Shah also walks through the supply/demand dynamics of renewable energies, as well as the commodities that are used to produce batteries.

The “Batteries: Harnessing the Power of the Energy Transition” webinar continues with Nitesh Shah, research director at WisdomTree Europe, breaking down the battery value chain and identifying related investment opportunities in certain commodities and equities.

This Reading Reinforcement module provides you with more detailed information about specific business sector and individual company shifts in the wake of different sustainability-driven issues. After completion, you should be able to describe how certain of SASB’s industry standards align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as related changes in market sectors and companies’ strategies.