You may have seen a recent series in the Wall Street Journal critiquing ESG and sustainable investing as a ‘craze’. Well, we disagree, and here’s a thoughtful response from Morningstar’s director of ESG research Jon Hale.
Read the full article on Morning Star’s website…
Global stocks continued their record-setting run, rallying 2.47% in August, notching their fifth winning month in a row. The MSCI All Country World Index’s (ACWI) touched a new all-time high on August 28th and is up 14.30% so far in 2025.
Whatever name you give it, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will bring sweeping changes for nearly every American taxpayer.
Global stocks rallied to a new all-time closing high, gaining 4.49% in June bringing Q2 returns to 11.53% and 2025 YTD gains to 10.05% — completing a remarkable comeback from the spring’s tariff-induced turmoil
As we reflect on the first half of 2025, markets have delivered a lesson in resilience—and a reminder of the importance of staying diversified and disciplined through uncertainty.
Global stocks continued their record-setting run, rallying 2.47% in August, notching their fifth winning month in a row. The MSCI All Country World Index’s (ACWI) touched a new all-time high on August 28th and is up 14.30% so far in 2025.
Whatever name you give it, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will bring sweeping changes for nearly every American taxpayer.
Global stocks rallied to a new all-time closing high, gaining 4.49% in June bringing Q2 returns to 11.53% and 2025 YTD gains to 10.05% — completing a remarkable comeback from the spring’s tariff-induced turmoil
As we reflect on the first half of 2025, markets have delivered a lesson in resilience—and a reminder of the importance of staying diversified and disciplined through uncertainty.
Mark Bateman is Aperio’s Head of Values-Aligned and ESG Research within BlackRock’s SMA Solutions unit. He is an internationally recognized ESG/SRI/Impact expert and works with Aperio’s clients to create customized values-alignment solutions.
Before joining Aperio, he served as the Director of Research at IW Financial (now part of ISS), a leading provider of value-added ESG research. Mark started his ESG career at the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC, now part of MSCI) in Washington, DC, in a range of positions, including Director of the Environmental Information Service, and ultimately, Vice President of Research and Operations. He also served on the original steering committee of the Global Reporting Initiative, helping to develop a sustainability reporting framework for companies. Before joining the ESG industry, Mark worked as a legislative aide for Sen. Mark Hatfield (OR) in his DC office.
In addition, Mark is pursuing a PhD in Public Administration and Policy through Old Dominion University’s School of Public Service. Mark’s research is focused on corporations in the public policy process. Mark lives and works in Salem, Oregon.
Jamie Nulph, CFA, is a Senior Climate Specialist at MSCI. She works closely with the largest institutional investors in North America to understand, evaluate, and report on climate-related risks and opportunities. Jamie has 15 years of experience in Sustainable Investing. Prior to joining MSCI in 2014, she worked in London with a UK-based ESG research firm, supporting European Institutional Investors on ESG integration, mission-
aligned investing, and stewardship.
Jamie co-leads MSCI’s Women’s Leadership Forum and is a founder of Bay ESG, a group focused on building connections and facilitating knowledge sharing for sustainable investment professionals across the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.