Knowledge and Insight

Our approach to responsible investing, in particular our use of proxy voting to encourage sustainable practices among the companies we invest in, has recently been recognised with two major industry awards.

Helen Wilson, responsible business lead for Rathbones Group, outlines our strategy for delivering on our commitment to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050 and minimising climate-related risk in our investment portfolios.

The war in Ukraine has dampened global growth as waves of COVID-19 continue to roll across the world. Meanwhile, politics is back to the fore in Europe and America.

A recent survey into charities’ action to tackle climate change suggests many organisations need to do more to prioritise environmental awareness and care for the planet.

The fortunes of all investors – charities included – are bound up to some extent with global economic growth. We look at how the transition to net zero could play out on the global economic stage over the longer term – and, by implication, how that could impact on investors’ portfolios.

The charity inspired by the father of modern computing has shown that giving old computers new life has environmental as well as social benefits.

Our latest edition starts by comparing and contrasting the current outlook with 1970s ‘stagflation’. New this quarter are regular feature articles looking at one of our long-term investment themes and a topic with ESG implications. This time we consider opportunities in sustainable agriculture and what the war in Ukraine means for the green energy transition.

Western central banks are trying to rebalance the scales in bond markets without causing a panic. Meanwhile, COVID-19 and bog-standard politics are still influencing markets in Europe and Asia.

Responsible investment – thinking about environmental, social and governance issues as an investor and shareholder – is a priority at Rathbones.

Rathbones has launched its third Votes Against Slavery engagement, securing support from 122 investors with assets under management totalling £9.6 trillion.

Welcome to our first responsible business report.

Cost of living fears seem to be peaking in the UK as a raft of important protections end. How will the economy hold up as households and companies tighten their belts?