Mean variance portfolio theory is expanded to accommodate investors' preferences for the portfolio ESG value (PESGV). Namely, PESGV is added to the minimizing objective function so that portfolio weights are simultaneously optimized in terms of returns, risk (volatility), and PESGV. PESGV is...

Many asset pricing models consider ‘disagreement’ (heterogeneous expectations), while a variety of other asset pricing models focus on ‘tastes’ (preferences beyond risk aversion); yet relatively few asset pricing models simultaneously consider both. The Popularity Asset Pricing Model...

The idea behind the optimal ESG portfolio (OESGP) is to expand the mean variance theory by adding the portfolio ESG value (PESGV) multiplied by the ESG strength parameter γ (which is investor’s choice) to the minimizing objective function (Pederson et al., 2019; Schmidt, 2020). PESGV is assumed...

We propose a theory in which each stock's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score plays two roles: 1) providing information about firm fundamentals and 2) affecting investor preferences. The solution to the investor's portfolio problem is characterized by an ESG-efficient frontier,...

The news-based ESG ratings (NBESGRs) are a promising alternative to the widely used ESG ratings based on the corporate self-reporting. In this work, the NBESGRs derived using 26 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) categories and the NBESGRs derived using 17 United Nations...

Two suggestions are offered to address growing criticism of the ESG-based investing. First, socially responsible investors need to use portfolio performance measure that is explicitly sensitive to the portfolio ESG value. Second, since the corporate ESG ratings are not regulated and are vaguely...

With the emergence of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) around the world managing equity of over $8 trillion, their impact on the corporate landscape and social welfare are being scrutinized. This study investigates whether and how SWFs incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG)...

The notion of the greenhouse gas (GHG) aversion (GHGA) is introduced into the mean-variance portfolio (MVP) framework. GHGA is assumed to be a weighted sum of the portfolio holdings’ GHG emission intensities. A new portfolio performance measure, the GHGA-tilted Sharpe ratio, is offered for...

Using data of the constituents of the MSCI USA ESG leader index, this study investigates the herding behavior in the US ESG stocks over the period from January 03, 2007 to September 30, 2020. Our results reveal a significant herding behavior in the US ESG leader stocks. Our findings also show...

Using daily data from 1999 to 2019, we document a diminishing hedging role that crude oil plays for the stock market as a result of growing financialization. With interest rates driven near zero after the crisis of 2007-2009 and the extreme volatility of oil prices, vector auto-regressions...