PODCAST: US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

Who are the US budget's renewable energy stock and ETF winners and losers? Using MSCI and proprietary methodologies Investor’s Business Daily creates its best 50 ESG companies ranking. New PIMCO ESG money market fund. Innovative and only Catholic long/short mutual fund. New ethical and sustainable robo advisors. My 1-hour investor tutorial reduced in price! More

PODCAST: US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

Transcript & Links, Episode 21, December 20, 2019

Content:

(1) US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

(2) US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

(3) 7 Apps for Socially Responsible Investing

(4) Conflicting ESG Ratings Are Confusing Sustainable Investors

(5) 50 Best ESG Companies: A List Of Today's Top Stocks For Environmental, Social And Governance Values

(6) PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ESG ETF

(7) Catholic Investor Long/Short Equity Fund

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Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to podcast episode 21 titled “US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…” for December 20, 2019—presented by Investing for the Soul. investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing news, commentary, information, and resources.

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Now to this episode. Remember that you can find a full transcript, live links to content, and often bonus material to these podcasts at their episodes’ podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts.

And, Google any terms that are unfamiliar to you.

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(1) US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

First, a note about the recent US budget and its renewable energy winners and losers. It provides for another year the continuation of tax credits for wind power but not for solar.

It certainly isn’t positive for US-based solar power companies. However, from a global perspective – and even for the US – solar power will continue to make headway.

Writing about how the new US budget affects renewable energy producers is Maxx Chatsko of the Motley Fool. He says in an article titled 2 Renewable Energy Winners and 2 Losers in the Latest Federal Budget that “The production tax credit extension could provide a lift to power generators and electric utilities such as Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL), which has 2,022 megawatts of wind power capacity coming on line in 2020 and 2021.” End quote.

A second winner of the budget deal Mr. Chatsko feels is the Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ:REGI). He writes that “[It’s] the nation's largest biodiesel producer… The business estimates that it will receive a $450 million windfall from renewable fuel production from the start of 2018 through the third quarter of 2019. If production volumes continue to increase in the near future, then the three-year extension could result in an additional $1 billion in total tax credits for the company.” End quote.

Mr. Chatsko says the losers from the budget are small-scale solar power companies like SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ:SEDG) and electric vehicle producers such as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and General Motors (NYSE:GM).

For more details read his article.

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(2) US Budget’s Renewable Energy Winners. And More…

Also, in light of the US budget deal, consider what Ben Hernandez says about three alternative power ETFs in an article titled, Investors Shouldn’t Forget to Power Portfolios with Alternative Energy.

He writes that, quote, “One ETF to look at is the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSEArca: LIT)... [it’s] nearly nine years old [and] tracks the Solactive Global Lithium Index… One of the oldest thematic ETFs, Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF is designed to provide exposure to ‘the full lithium cycle, from mining and refining the metal, through battery production,’ according to Global X.” End quote.

The second ETF Mr. Hernandez suggests tracks global wind power companies. He states that “Investors who want to capitalize on increasing reliance on wind as an alternative energy resource… can look at the First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (NYSEArca: FAN). The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the ISE Clean Edge Global Wind EnergyTM Index… [Which] provides a benchmark for investors interested in tracking public companies throughout the world that are active in the wind energy industry.” End quote.

Then for a third choice, he writes that “For investors looking for more broad-based exposure to alternative energy can give the SPDR Kensho Clean Power ETF (NYSEArca: CNRG) a look. [It] seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the total return performance of the S&P Kensho Clean Power Index, which is designed to capture companies whose products and services are driving innovation behind clean power.” End quote.

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(3) 7 Apps for Socially Responsible Investing

Continuing on the subject of ethical and sustainable investing robo advisers from previous episodes, Barbara Friedberg wrote on the US News site her latest recommendations. They’re in a post titled 7 Apps for Socially Responsible Investing. Her top apps are M1 Finance, Axos Invest, Ellevest, OpenInvest, SoFi Invest, Personal Capital, and Betterment.

These include several she hadn’t mentioned before, which are Axos, Ellevest, OpenInvest, SoFi Invest, and Personal Capital. Go to her article to see her reviews.

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(4) Conflicting ESG Ratings Are Confusing Sustainable Investors

Now, for many of you who do your own company research, you probably wonder if the ESG scores you see are similar among the top ESG ratings’ firms. Well, a study by MIT Sloan School of Management says only rarely!

The study was discussed in a Bloomberg piece by Jacqueline Poh, titled Conflicting ESG Ratings Are Confusing Sustainable Investors.

The research included company ESG raters: Asset4, KLD, RobecoSAM, Sustainalytics, and Vigeo-Eiris. However, another major rater, MSCI, was not included.

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(5) 50 Best ESG Companies: A List Of Today's Top Stocks For Environmental, Social And Governance Values

I just mentioned that MSCI’s company ESG ratings were missing from the MIT study. However, coincidentally, the US publication Investor’s Business Daily has recently published an article titled 50 Best ESG Companies: A List Of Today's Top Stocks For Environmental, Social And Governance Values – based on MSCI data.

Investor’s Business Daily – or IBD – also has its own ratings that are applied to the MSCI scores. To understand IBD’s ratings go to Scott Lehtonen’s post titled How To Find And Buy The Top ESG Stocks In The Current Stock Market Rally on the IBD site.

(The above links don’t work directly. Copy and paste these urls to your browser.)

https://www.investors.com/research/how-to-find-and-buy-the-top-esg-stocks-in-the-current-stock-market-rally/

https://www.investors.com/research/best-esg-companies-top-stocks-environmental-social-governance-values/

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(6) PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ESG ETF

Now, do you need to park some cash in a money market fund but would prefer one that’s ESG based? Well, the following fund might be for you.

PIMCO, a leading US bond firm, has recently launched a new type of money market fund. It’s called PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ESG ETF (NYSEArca: EMNT). Writing in ETFdb.com, in a post titled PIMCO Releases Active ESG ETF ‘EMNT’ Aaron Neuwirth says it “aims to offer higher income than traditional cash investments, with a modest increase in risk and focuses on issuers with high quality environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.” End quote.

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(7) Catholic Investor Long/Short Equity Fund

Finally, an innovative religious-values fund that’s really breaking new ground! It’s the Catholic Investor Long/Short Equity Fund. Quoting from a press release, “The Catholic Investor Long/Short Equity Fund is the only Catholic long/short mutual fund in the world, aimed at satisfying the needs of investors who appreciate ethical values-based investing. The Fund adheres to the investing principles outlined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).” End quote. Note though, that as a mutual fund, it’s probably only available to US investors.

Don’t forget you can Google any terms that might be unfamiliar to you.

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Well, these are my top news stories and tips for ethical and sustainable investors over the past two weeks.

Again, to get all the links or to read the transcript of this podcast and sometimes get additional information too, please go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode.

And be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or wherever you download or listen to this podcast. Also, please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. That way you can help promote not only this podcast but ethical and sustainable investing globally. So, let’s help create a better world with our investments!

Contact me if you have any questions.

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Special Holiday Offer: 50% Off My On-of-a-Kind Investor Educational Tutorial!

And again, don’t miss out on my terrific holiday offer for you! 50% off the price of the one-of-a-kind investor educational tutorial for all, my DIY Ethical Sustainable Investing Pays tutorial!

Temporarily reduced from US$49.95 to just US$24.95! Go now to my site investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and click the link half-way down the right-hand column.

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Talk to you again on January 3. Wishing you a most wonderful joyous and healthy holiday and happy New Year. Bye for now.

Thank you for listening.

© 2019 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul.