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Style and performance of international socially responsible funds in Europe

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  • Leite, Paulo
  • Cortez, Maria Céu

Abstract

This paper analyses the performance and investment styles of internationally oriented Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) funds, domiciled in eight European markets, in comparison with characteristics-matched conventional funds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multi-country study, focused on international SRI funds (investing in Global and in European equities), to combine the matched-pairs approach with the use of robust conditional multi-factor performance evaluation models, which allow for both time-varying alphas and betas and also control for home biases and spurious regression biases.

Suggested Citation

  • Leite, Paulo & Cortez, Maria Céu, 2014. "Style and performance of international socially responsible funds in Europe," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 248-267.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:30:y:2014:i:c:p:248-267
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2013.09.007
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    Cited by:

    1. Joliet, Robert & Titova, Yulia, 2018. "Equity SRI funds vacillate between ethics and money: An analysis of the funds’ stock holding decisions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 70-86.
    2. Khelifa Mazouz & Abdulkadir Mohamed & Brahim Saadouni, 2019. "Price Reaction of Ethically Screened Stocks: A Study of the Dow Jones Islamic Market World Index," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 683-699, February.
    3. Rocco Caferra & Pasquale Marcello Falcone & Andrea Morone & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2022. "Is COVID-19 anticipating the future? Evidence from investors’ sustainable orientation," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(1), pages 177-196, March.
    4. Martí-Ballester, Carmen-Pilar, 2019. "Do European renewable energy mutual funds foster the transition to a low-carbon economy?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1299-1309.
    5. Mirza, Nawazish & Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr & Ha Nguyen, Thi Thu & Arfaoui, Nadia & Oliyide, Johnson A., 2023. "Are sustainable investments interdependent? The international evidence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    6. Maike van Dijk-de Groot & Andre H.J. Nijhof, 2015. "Socially Responsible Investment Funds: a review of research priorities and strategic options," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 178-204, July.
    7. Petrillo, Antonella & De Felice, Fabio & García-Melón, Mónica & Pérez-Gladish, Blanca, 2016. "Investing in socially responsible mutual funds: Proposal of non-financial ranking in Italian market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 541-555.
    8. Leite, Paulo & Cortez, Maria Céu, 2015. "Performance of European socially responsible funds during market crises: Evidence from France," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 132-141.
    9. Reboredo, Juan C. & Quintela, Miguel & Otero, Luis A., 2017. "Do investors pay a premium for going green? Evidence from alternative energy mutual funds," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 512-520.
    10. Vincenzo D'Apice & Giovanni Ferri & Mariantonietta Intonti, 2021. "Sustainable disclosure versus ESG intensity: Is there a cross effect between holding and SRI funds?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1496-1510, September.
    11. Janik, Bogna & Bartkowiak, Marcin, 2022. "Are sustainable investments profitable for investors in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs)?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    12. Pablo Durán-Santomil & Luis Otero-González & Renato Heitor Correia-Domingues & Juan Carlos Reboredo, 2019. "Does Sustainability Score Impact Mutual Fund Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, May.
    13. Koedijk, Kees & ter Horst, Jenke & Borgers, Arian & Derwall, Jeroen, 2015. "Do Social Factors Influence Investment Behaviour and Performance? Evidence from Mutual Fund Holdings," CEPR Discussion Papers 10740, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Azmi, Wajahat & Mohamad, Shamsher & Shah, Mohamed Eskandar, 2020. "Ethical investments and financial performance: An international evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    15. Nakai, Miwa & Yamaguchi, Keiko & Takeuchi, Kenji, 2016. "Can SRI funds better resist global financial crisis? Evidence from Japan," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 12-20.
    16. Maria Folqué & Elena Escrig‐Olmedo & Teresa Corzo Santamaría, 2021. "Sustainable development and financial system: Integrating ESG risks through sustainable investment strategies in a climate change context," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 876-890, September.
    17. Helen Chiappini & Gianfranco Vento & Leonardo De Palma, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Sustainable Indexes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    18. Christine Helliar & Barbara Petracci & Nongnuch Tantisantiwong, 2022. "Comparing SRI funds to conventional funds using a PCA methodology," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(7), pages 581-595, December.
    19. Borgers, Arian & Derwall, Jeroen & Koedijk, Kees & ter Horst, Jenke, 2015. "Do social factors influence investment behavior and performance? Evidence from mutual fund holdings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 112-126.
    20. Ghoul, Sadok El & Karoui, Aymen, 2022. "Fund performance and social responsibility: New evidence using social active share and social tracking error," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    21. Gbenga Ibikunle & Carmen‐Pilar Martí‐Ballester, 2022. "Can water mutual funds aid sustainable development?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1173-1190, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International funds; Socially responsible funds; Performance evaluation; Investment style; Matched-pairs approach;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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