Sustainable Investing in Equilibrium
57 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2019 Last revised: 16 Jun 2020
There are 3 versions of this paper
Sustainable Investing in Equilibrium
Sustainable Investing in Equilibrium
Date Written: December 2019
Abstract
We model investing that considers environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. In equilibrium, green assets have low expected returns because investors enjoy holding them and because green assets hedge climate risk. Green assets nevertheless outperform when positive shocks hit the ESG factor, which captures shifts in customers' tastes for green products and investors' tastes for green holdings. The ESG factor and the market portfolio price assets in a two-factor model. The ESG investment industry is largest when investors' ESG preferences differ most. Sustainable investing produces positive social impact by making firms greener and by shifting real investment toward green firms.
Keywords: ESG, social impact, Socially responsible investing, sustainable investing
JEL Classification: G11, G12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Lubos Pastor (Contact Author)
University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )
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Robert F. Stambaugh
University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )
The Wharton School, Finance Department
University of Pennsylvania
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Lucian A. Taylor
University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )
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HOME PAGE: http://finance.wharton.upenn.edu/~luket/