News (226 articles)

Bangladesh Statement: The Rana Plaza collapse

By Neil Brown, Alliance Trust on 16 June 2013 Thematic News

The collapse of the Rana Plaza on the 24th April in Bangladesh has once again focused attention on poor working conditions in the factories that supply garments.

Airpocalypse Now: China and its environmental problems

By Simon Clements, Alliance Trust on 12 June 2013 Thematic News

Environmental problems in China are increasingly getting to a point where the sacrifice for its rapid economic growth becomes unbearable. The problems range across the full spectrum, including the legendary smog, which includes dangerous particle matter, carbon emissions, and other dangerous pollutants, such as Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide.

Mobile payments: a structural investment theme

By Mike Appleby, Alliance Trust on 12 June 2013 Thematic News

The arrival of mobile payments, which is essentially the ability to use your phone as a wallet, is having a big impact on many sectors, and is throwing up some interesting investment opportunities. The IT research company, Gartner, project global mobile transaction growth to average 42 percent per year between 2011 and 2016 and estimate a market worth $617 billion with 448 million users by 2016.

Alliance Trust's performance proves SRI is a sensible investment approach

By Peter Michaelis, Alliance Trust on 3 June 2013

Sustainable Future Equity Fund performance over the past 10 years: no evidence of sacrificing investment returns or increased risk, but still two opposing camps?

Pictet Timber may have best chance at Investment Week Fund Manager of the Year Awards

By Mark Hoskin, IFA at Holden & Partners on 28 May 2013 Market News

Each year the fund management industry gets together to salute their heroes at the Royal Albert Hall. It is always a very well attended event and this year is the 18th Investment Week Fund Manager of the Year Awards with six funds from Worldwise Investor having been nominated. In 2010 Robin Hepworth won an award for the Ecclesiastical Amity International fund and this year we feel that Gabriel Micheli and Christoph Butz from the Pictet Timber fund may have the best...

Political will the biggest obstacle in addressing climate change

By Simon Webber, Schroders on 21 May 2013 Thematic News

Influential bodies sent strong messages this month to reiterate the urgency of the climate change battle. As emissions keep rising from emerging market countries despite the global economic slowdown, an IEA report warned on the slow development of low-carbon energy solutions and the double-digit growth of coal-fired generation in the last decade far outpacing growth in non-fossil fuel generation.

Ten companies to watch

By Mike Appleby, Alliance Trust on 9 May 2013 Thematic News

Below we highlight ten companies which demonstrate the Sustainable Future investment philosophy in practice and where they sit within our sustainability matrix.*

Broken Models

By Neil Brown, Alliance Trust on 9 May 2013 Thematic News

Environmental economists have long recognised that great failing of our current economic system is that natural resources are rarely assigned any value. There has been no cost associated with overfishing; wetlands and forests can be depleted without impacting GDP; and there is no cost to using our atmosphere as a CO2dump.

Google: a Sustainable Company?

By Simon Clements, Alliance Trust on 9 May 2013 Thematic News

The Alliance Trust Investments SRI Hub

By Mike Appleby, Alliance Trust on 7 May 2013 Thematic News

Have your say on key sustainability issues. Alliance Trust Investments has launched an SRI hub; an industry meeting point to discuss everything from stock ideas to climate change and the Retail Distribution Review.