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ESG Ratings and the Performance of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds: A Panel Study

Author

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  • Das, Nandita
  • Chatterje, Swarn
  • Ruf, Bernadette
  • Sunder, Aman

Abstract

This study uses the Fama-French 5-factor model to examine the risk-adjusted performances of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds (SRMF) relative to the market over a 12-year (2005–2016) period. The timeframe of this study overlaps the periods leading up to, during, and immediately past the Great Recession. This study also examines whether the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings assigned to the SRMF signal fund performance over time. The results indicate that although the SRMF underperformed in the market during the 2005–2016 period, there was no difference in the SRMF performance with respect to the market during the Great Recession period. Furthermore, our results indicate that the SRMF with higher ESG ratings outperformed the SRMF with lower ESG ratings during the Great Recession period. Implications of this study’s findings for investment analysts, portfolio managers, and financial planners are included.

Suggested Citation

  • Das, Nandita & Chatterje, Swarn & Ruf, Bernadette & Sunder, Aman, 2018. "ESG Ratings and the Performance of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds: A Panel Study," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 17(1), pages 49-57.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:196120
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Sebastian Rathner, 2013. "The Influence of Primary Study Characteristics on the Performance Differential Between Socially Responsible and Conventional Investment Funds: A Meta-Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 349-363, December.
    8. Onur Kemal Tosun, 2017. "Is corporate social responsibility sufficient enough to explain the investment by socially responsible funds?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 697-726, October.
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    10. Nandita Das & Bernadette Ruf & Swarn Chatterjee & Aman Sunder, 2018. "Fund Characteristics and Performances of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds: Do ESG Ratings Play a Role?," Papers 1806.09906, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2023.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ford, Jansson M. & Gehricke, Sebastian A. & Zhang, Jin E., 2022. "Option traders are concerned about climate risks: ESG ratings and short-term sentiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    2. Jekaterina Kuzmina & Dzintra Atstaja & Maris Purvins & Guram Baakashvili & Vakhtang Chkareuli, 2023. "In Search of Sustainability and Financial Returns: The Case of ESG Energy Funds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Joanna Górka & Katarzyna Kuziak, 2022. "Volatility Modeling and Dependence Structure of ESG and Conventional Investments," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-25, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Quantitative Finance; Mutual Funds and ETFs; Socially Responsible Investing (SRI); ESG Ratings; Fund Performance; Risk Premium; Investment Decisions; Portfolio Performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E27 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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