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Socially Responsible Investing Strategies under Pressure: Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Gunther Capelle-Blancard

    (UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSB - Paris School of Business - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université)

  • Adrien Desroziers

    (UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Olivier David Zerbib

    (UCBL - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Université de Lyon, CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - ENSAE Paris - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

By matching socially responsible (SR) stock indexes worldwide with their conventional benchmarks, the authors study the resilience of SR investment strategies during the COVID-19 crisis. Overall, SR indexes exhibited dynamics very similar to their benchmarks. The sample is composed of 573 SR stock indexes from MSCI, STOXX, and FTSE. In the first half of 2020, the average daily return was –0.11% for SR indexes and their benchmarks, with annualized volatility of 40% for each. SR indexes remained very close to their benchmarks during both the fever period (February 24–March 20) and the rebound period (March 23–May 29). The financial performance of SR strategies shows substantial heterogeneity, however, with SR impact strategies slightly outperforming their benchmarks. In addition, the resilience of SR strategies was a little stronger in countries and during periods in which the number of COVID-19 cases was increasing. In robustness checks, the authors control for public attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the economic effects of new policies implemented during the crisis, including lockdowns, and fiscal and monetary policy changes. Their findings call for careful SR investment selection because not all such investments have provided equal returns in the face of the COVID pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Gunther Capelle-Blancard & Adrien Desroziers & Olivier David Zerbib, 2021. "Socially Responsible Investing Strategies under Pressure: Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis," Post-Print hal-03526650, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03526650
    DOI: 10.3905/jpm.2021.1.288
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    Cited by:

    1. Fatica, Serena & Panzica, Roberto, 2024. "Sustainable investing in times of crisis: Evidence from bond holdings and the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    2. Perote, Javier & Vicente-Lorente, José D. & Zuñiga-Vicente, Jose Angel, 2023. "How reactive is investment in US green bonds and ESG-eligible stocks in times of crisis? Exploring the COVID-19 crisis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    3. Zhang, Ning & Zhang, Yue & Zong, Zhe, 2023. "Fund ESG performance and downside risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Sébastien Duchêne & Adrien Nguyen-Huu & Dimitri Dubois & Marc Willinger, 2022. "Risk-return trade-offs in the context of environmental impact: a lab-in-the-field experiment with finance professionals," Working Papers hal-03883121, HAL.
    5. Huynh, Nhan & Dao, Anh & Nguyen, Dat, 2021. "Openness, economic uncertainty, government responses, and international financial market performance during the coronavirus pandemic," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).

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