Insights From

Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management

Investing Responsibly: ESG and the Well-Intentioned Investor

No matter how one refers to it — “ESG” (environmental, social and governance), “responsible” or “sustainable” investing — the world is paying increased attention to investment decisions that include nonfinancial factors. Research examines if investment managers invest their clients’ capital as responsibly as they pledge to.

Does Regulation Chase Away Publicly Traded Companies?

Since 2000, the U.S. has experienced a decline in the number of publicly traded companies, a trend that comes with significant economic risks and implications. Proponents of deregulation cite increased disclosure and regulatory burdens placed on public companies as the cause. Is that indeed the case? Award-winning research examines the issue.

Disaster Strikes: Where Do Institutional Investors Go?

Conventional wisdom is that active-fund managers are paid to be contrarians; they take risks and go against trends. But new research shows that sometimes they’re the herd: In the bear market of February and March 2020, institutional investors amplified price crashes and volatility by fire-selling, and they focused on cash rather than ESG metrics.

3 Questions: Exchange Traded Funds and Market Efficiency

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) have grown in popularity as a tool for targeting specific groups of investments. How do they affect the market? Darden Professor Rich Evans and Maureen O’Hara of Cornell’s S.C. Johnson College of Business discuss industry ETFs and their influence on market efficiency.

3 Questions: Financial Globalization and how Covid-19 May Shape Global Capital Markets

What can we expect across global financial markets following the COVID-19 crisis? UVA Darden Professor Marc Lipson and guest Cornell S.C. Johnson Professor Andrew Karolyi discuss international and domestic listings, financial versus real business cycles, and both short-term and long-term implications of de-risking.

The Many Names and Global Reach of Socially Responsible Investing

What is socially responsible investing? Is its increasing momentum sustainable? And are international commitments to ESG practices making an impact? Darden Professors Mary Margaret Frank and Pedro Matos discuss issues related to this popular phenomenon.

Does a Crisis Lurk in the Shadows?

Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management Director Aaron Fernstrom (GEMBA ’15) explores the rapidly growing — and essentially unregulated — shadow banking market.

The Coming Financial Crisis

Another global financial crisis will come eventually, although when and why the next downturn will begin remains an unknown. So far, regulatory efforts have not eliminated the sources of financial instability.

Active vs. Passive Funds: The Mutual Fund Shell Game

Are the fees for actively managed mutual funds worth the cost? Although that debate is far from settled, the consensus seems to be “it depends."