Chapter 9 - Investment Mandates, Portfolio Analytics and Client Reporting Flashcards
- alignment that time frames and structures of portfolio manager assessment and renumeration closely reflect performance experienced by clients they serve and the time frame for performance to be delivered
- accountability where portfolio managers respond to expressed intentions of their clients and report as fully as required
- client mandates can help for these two elements if well designed
Steps in Mandate Construction to avoid Investment Chain Agency Problems
(5 Points)
- clarify client needs - defining the ESG investment strategy
- fully aligning investment with clients ESG beliefs
- developing client-relevant ESG-aware investment mandates - typically via detailed request for proposal (RFP) process
- tailoring ESG investment approach to client expectations
- holding managers to account via performance assessment
Clarifying Client Needs in Mandate Construction
(4 Points)
Clients should be clear about their needs and set them out in a clear statement of ESG investment beliefs.
Investment beliefs might be expressed in a statement of investment principles (SIP):
* UK’s Occupational Pension Scheme (Investment) Regulations (2005) require pension schemes to set out policies on how they consider material ESG factors in their SIP, and the extent to which they undertake stewardship
* new reporting requirements, in line with EU Shareholder Rights Directive II, will reinforce the same sort of approach
Aligning Investment with Client ESG Beliefs in Mandate Construction
(2 Points)
- ensure that investment beliefs are reflected operationally in the fund manager’s investment approach, such as in terms of ESG integration and engagement
- can require a clear framing of basic expectations, including such issues as appropriate ESG screening approaches
Developing ESG-aware Investment Mandates before Mandate Construction
(2 Points)
- typically via detailed required for proposal (RFP) process with a questionnaire sent to potential managers
- detail and challenge of these ESG questions included in the questionnaire depend on how serious asset owners take ESG
Tailoring ESG Approach to Client Expectations in Mandate Construction
(2 Points)
- ensure client and fund manager are aligned in expectations
- different clients have different expectations regarding ESG issues and investment approach
Forms of holding Managers to Account in Mandate Construction
(3 Points)
Through performance assessments across a broad range of issues.
Two forms:
* monitoring meetings between client and fund manager
* manager’s measurement and reporting of its ESG performance
Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) Stewardship Checklist
(8 Points)
Not just for pension schemes but can be applied for all asset owners.
3 key requirements to ensure effective and meaningful stewardship strategy:
* be clear how stewardship fits into investment strategy and policy, and how it helps meet investment objectives, this includes:
1. clear and agreed understanding of trustee board and relevant organization overall mission, purpose and objectives
2. defined set of agreed investment beliefs (incl. ESG) where everyone is comfortable but also sufficiently informs and guides investment strategy and objectives
3. robust framework to decide and monitor a scheme’s investment policies (incl. ESG) and the role an engaged steward of member’s assets plays in this
4. strategy how stewardship fits into manager selection process and ongoing relationship monitoring
- ensure that fund managers and other service providers deliver effective integration of long-term ESG factors in investment approach; pension schemes will gain clear understanding of ESG integration and stewardship approach of fund managers through due diligance and appointment process
- work with advisers to understand level of resources available for stewardship activities, which assets are covered and what the appropriate structure is; stewardship could be carried out by in-house stewardship team or outsourced stewardship
McKinsey’s Article “From ‘Why’ to ‘Why Not’”
(10 Points)
From October 2017.
2 fundamental questions that asset owners need to ask when developing their ESG investment philosophy:
~ Are ESG factors more important for risk management or value creation?
* strategy for risk management:
1. exclusion
2. engagement
- strategy for value creation:
1. overweight portfolio with companies/sectors with strong ESG performance
~ What ESG factors are material?
* selection of material factors is often influenced by exposure to asset classes, geographies and specific companies; e.g. governance factors tend to be especially important for private equity investments
Actions for Pension Funds with concerns about Climate Change
(3 Points)
- fund might establish multiple madates investing in new technologies, including renewable energy generation
- fund’s mainstream equity and debt mandates may include screens that exclude fossil fuel investments
- fund may require that any sovereign bond mandate include an active ESG overlay that seeks to limit exposure in countries where the physical impacts of climate change are likely to be most acute
Foundation Investment Portfolio with concerns about Human Right Abuses
(2 Points)
- apply a screen approach across portfolios requiring the exclusion of any investment facing significant allegations
- screen out exposures to certain countries where human rights abuses are perceived to be a frequent occurence or where human rights standards are deteriorating at a rapid rate
McKinsey’s Framework for ESG Considerations in Investment
(11 Points)
Investment Mandate (What?)
* consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, including prioritization
* targets
Investment Beliefs and Strategy (Why?)
* rationale for ESG intergration
* material ESG factors
Investment Operations Enablers (How?)
* tools and processes:
1. negative screening
2. positive screening
3. proactive engagement
- resources and organizations:
1. ESG expertise and capabilities
2. integration with investment teams
3. collaboration and partnerships - performance management:
1. review of external managers (screening and follow-up)
2. follow-up on internal managers (including incentives) - public reporting:
1. accountability
2. transparency
ESG Challenges for Investment Strategies
(2 Points)
- lack of ESG data within their scope
- relative scarcity of methodologies and best practices to apply ESG integration in an asset class
Multi-Strategy Investment Firm with Fundamental & Quantitative ESG
(2 Points)
- active ownership activities (e.g. engagement) more relevant to concentrated fundamental strategies, than diverse quantitative portfolios
- application of ESG strategies to certain asset classes (e.g. commodities; money market funds) in its early childhood stage
ESG Policy addresses how Portfolio Manager…
(6 Points)
- addresses ESG issues at portfolio reviews
- establishes the rationale and methodology for ESG portfolio-level assessment
- assesses exposure to ESG risk within the risk management function
- determines ESG impacts to the portfolio
- responds in the investment decision-making process to ESG implications
- discloses ESG exposure to the fund’s investors
Portfolio Manager’s Annual Report ESG Information
(4 Points)
- ESG activities across the portfolio
- frequency of engagement
- highlighted activities and their outcomes
- portfolios with private/unlisted security exposure may report portfolio performance against KPIs
ICGN Model Contract between Asset Owners and Managers
(6 Points)
Provides framework and best practices for ESG-aware investment mandates around:
* monitoring and use of ESG factors
* integration of ESG factors into investment decision making
* adherence to good practices around stewardship
* voting and reporting requirements
Intended standards will most effectively be delivered where managers are made accountable on a regular basis.
PRI Report “How Asset Owners Can Drive Responsible Investment”
(7 Points)
PRI Report from 2016.
Investment Mandates should require investment managers to do the following:
* implement the asset owner’s investment beliefs and relevant investment policies
* invest in a manner consistent with asset owner’s time horizon, understanding key risks that must be managed to achieve asset owner’s portfolio goals
* implement effective stewardship processes, including engagement on ESG issues and voting
* engage constructively and proactively with policymakers on responsible investment and ESG related issues, aligned with asset owner’s policies
* report on the actions taken and outcomes achieved
Different Ways to integrate ESG Issues
(5 Points)
- threshold requirement before investment can be considered
- factors that inform the valuation or provide quant basis for adjusting exposures
- risk assessment that offers a level of confidence in the valuation
- basis for stewardship engagement
- combination of two or more of these methods, which is very often the case
Different Responsible Investment Strategies from Asset Managers
(5 Points)
Their investment philosophy and investment processes may fundamentally differ:
* some active investors focus on fundamental company-specific research, others emphasize quant models
* some will be more event driven, others more focused on identifying companies with long-term track record of delivering superior financial performance
* passive investment approaches need to build ESG priorities into mandate design and the way in which investment assets are selected; typically:
1. excluding certain investments (e.g. fossil fuel sector or carbon-intensive aspects of it)
2. applying a tilt to a broader index (e.g. least carbon-intensive companies are chosen in each sector)
CFA Institute: ESG Investment Approaches
(6 Points)
- ESG Integration: explicitly considers ESG-related factors that are material to risk and return of investment, alognside traditional financial factors
- ESG-related Exclusions: excludes securities, issuers or companies based on certain ESG-related activities, business practices or business segments
- Best-in-Class: aims to invest in companies and issuers that perform better than peers on one or more performance metrics related to ESG
- ESG-related Thematic Focus: aims to invest in sectors, industries or companies that are expected to benefit from long-term macro or structural ESG-related trends
- Impact Objective: seeks to generate positive, measurable social or environmental impact alongside financial return
- Proxy Voting/Engagement/Stewardship: uses rights and position of ownership to influence issuers’ or companies’ activities or behaviours
RFP Process Checklist of ESG Approaches
(6 Points)
- systematically considers financially material ESG information in investment decisions
- tracks on ESG index and/or uses an ESG index as an investment universe
- systematically applies ESG criteria to exclude certain investments and/or to determine if an investment is eligible for inclusion in the fund’s portfolio
- sets allocation targets and/or constraints for fund-level ESG characteristics
- considers ESG issues when exercising the rights and position associated with the ownership, management and overseight of the fund’s assets
- has an explicit objective to generate positive measureable ESG outcome alongside a financial return