Posted on 01/20/2020 5:39:51 AM PST by karpov
Climate change poses two distinct risks for investors, and a special one for fund managers. The pledge last week by Larry Fink, CEO of fund giant BlackRock Inc., to push clients toward environmental, social and governance investing highlights another risk: that markets are shifting from harnessing the wisdom of crowds to the wisdom of a handful of powerful money-management executives.
Leave the pros and cons of ESG aside for a moment. Whatever you think of Mr. Fink’s view, his letter highlights the power he wields over the direction of corporate America, thanks to the votes of BlackRock’s extensive holdings. Shareholders used to have diverse views, with individual managers even within the same organization often disagreeing on what companies should do. Just as the market is meant to set prices by balancing many different opinions, there were many people deciding on any given shareholder vote.
That’s changing fast. Index funds are now as big as actively run mutual funds, but are disproportionately run by just three companies: BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street Corp. We shouldn’t exaggerate: BlackRock doesn’t own enough stock to dictate to CEOs. But between them, the three indexing giants hold roughly a fifth of the S&P 500 through funds they run for investors, and are often—as with JP Morgan Chase & Co.—the three biggest shareholders.
Their decisions on any controversial vote are already highly influential on the outcome, and the trend toward indexing shows no sign of slowing.
Agree or disagree with Mr. Fink’s demand for more action from companies on climate issues, the fact that just one man—albeit a very smart man—is in a position to do this in the first place is scary. This is probably one reason Mr. Fink promised more transparency over voting.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Divest Blackrock
They want us poor taxpayers to pay for their incompetence.
Where else can we have our neighbor pay for our losses?
Since when did Wall Street turn Socialist?
“Index funds are now as big as actively run mutual funds, but are disproportionately run by just three companies: BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street Corp. We shouldn’t exaggerate: BlackRock doesn’t own enough stock to dictate to CEOs. But between them, the three indexing giants hold roughly a fifth of the S&P 500 through funds they run for investors, and are often—as with JP Morgan Chase & Co.—the three biggest shareholders”
wow. So is Vanguard on the ESG bandwagon too?
Socialism is highly profitable for the few at the expense of the many. North Korea is a mature case of the same.
JMHo
The Fourth Turning....
ESG...Environmental, Social, Governance
“Climate Change” has become the greatest threat to freedom and individual rights and liberty than we’ve seen in several generations.
We know that in Europe, the “greens” have long been the home of disaffected leftists, socialists, and communists (as well as anarchists, their version of “antifa.”)
This is nothing more than an end run around the Constitution to take more and more power away from the elected government representatives.
The “progressives” that have taken over the dem party make no secret that they are post-constitutional, and the only use they really have for the constitution is to misquote it and try to weaponize it against the Constitutionalists.
The “crisis” that is “climate change” must take precedence over silly things like personal property rights, any choice in how and where you live, and your money, all of which are required for personal liberty. The “climate change” crisis is designed to plunge the free world into a single world governance, and communism.
Mark
Thanks for the definition.
Black Rock aside, many investors will look at the fundamentals of a company and be profitable contrarians. In the past year the pessimists were certain that recession was imminent and sold.
The optimists bought. For every seller there is a buyer.
The only danger is when the government interferes to block a free market.
Wall Street has always been a den of socialists. They must be controlled.
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