Information and education are an essential part of the client experience, and we
are here to provide resources and insights to help keep you advised.
Can you invest in a way which is environmentally and socially conscientious while still producing solid returns? ESG—shorthand for Environmental, Social, and Governance—was a modern response to that challenge. A framework, not a fixed destination, ESG aimed to bring a broader perspective to investment analysis, incorporating long-term systemic risks and opportunities alongside traditional financial metrics. But over the past few years, ESG moved from innovative insight to political football. Once one of the financial industry’s boldest growth areas, it has now become a flashpoint of both regulatory scrutiny and ideological debate. The story of ESG is not one of failure, but of evolution—a maturing concept being recalibrated for a more complex, more informed investment landscape. This article explores ESG’s path: how it rose so rapidly, why it faced backlash, and where thoughtful investors go from here. Most importantly, it outlines how ESG principles can still serve as powerful tools within...
07.05.2023For more than three years, the United States economy has been working through a massive set of disruptions related to the COVID pandemic, the subsequent policy responses, and the second-order effects of those responses including a spike in inflation, interest rate volatility, evolving living and working patterns, and accelerating technological innovation. These disruptions have touched nearly all aspects of our daily lives with significant reverberations throughout the real estate industry. Real estate is inherently cyclical and highly dependent on capital markets and debt for liquidity. Commercial real estate in particular has seen tremendous impacts from these recent disruptive forces. Transaction volume initially dropped and subsequently skyrocketed during the pandemic as stimulus and historically low interest rates drove investors into any assets offering positive yields. As a result, valuations increased as investors drove pricing higher in auction processes. Rents, particularly in the apartment and industrial sectors, increased substantially due to strong...