December Monthly Commentary
Equities rounded out a banner year with additional gains on the back of strong earnings and economic growth. Maintaining their lead, emerging market stocks returned 3.6% in December, according to the MSCI EM index, racking up gains of 37.9% in 2017. The S&P 500 was up 1.1% on the month and—setting a new record—was in […]
The Climate Action 100+ Initiative
This week at the One Planet Summit in Paris, a new initiative was launched. The Climate Action 100+ Initiative, will drive action on climate change at the world’s largest emitters. Led by some of the world’s leading investor climate advocacy networks, the initiative brings together 225 Investors with more than 26.3 trillion in assets under management. The […]
Monthly Commentary for November 2017
As 2017 draws to a close, most investors can look back on the year as one marked by low volatility and high returns. November did little to change this dynamic as global equities continued their relentless march forward. US stocks were in the lead with gains of 5.5%, stealing the thunder from international equities that […]
Index Funds versus Active Management
Lately there has been significant discussion about the relative merits of index funds versus active management. Regardless of what you think of each style of investment, the metric for measurement the effectiveness of each should be a full market cycle. The US domestic market has had a good run, having had little volatility and a […]
Could ESG Analysis Have Helped Equifax Investors?
October 5, 2017 / by Reino Ecklord, Research Consultant and Kelly A. Regan, Senior Consultant Equifax’s data breach that potentially exposed the personal information of 145.5 million Americans has wreaked havoc on the credit bureau’s reputation and its stock price. Among the company’s largest shareholders are institutional index mutual funds focused on large-cap and mid-cap […]
October Monthly Commentary
Global equities racked up fresh gains in October amid positive economic signals across the globe. At home, the S&P 500 Index was up 2.3% as unemployment fell to 4.2%, the lowest it’s been since 2001, and third-quarter GDP estimates exceeded expectations at 3.0%. Outside the United States, the MSCI EAFE Index returned 1.5%, driven by a […]
September Monthly Commentary
Global stocks continued their march upward in September with gains of 1.9%, according to the MSCI ACWI Index. At home, the S&P 500 Index was up 2.1%, bested by the Russell 2000 which gained 6.0%. Most emerging currencies weakened against the dollar, as the Fed reaffirmed its commitment to raising rates gradually and starting to […]
UUCEF Quarterly Distribution Policy Change Effective January 2, 2018
The UUCEF, LLC Operating Agreement (the Agreement) is being amended. This message constitutes the 90-day notice required by paragraph 13.7 of the agreement. Recently, we completed a review of the quarterly distribution payment cycle. These are the recurring quarterly trust and client account payments based on a moving thirteen quarter average market value. The common […]
Socially Responsible Investing Versus Traditional Funds
To many of the visitors to the UU Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF) booth at General Assembly 2017, one of the main questions their congregations have is about the relative performance of SRI [Socially Responsible Investment] versus standard funds. In the past, we have always argued that it does not damage performance, as demonstrated by a […]
August Monthly Commentary
Global equities closed out August in the black with emerging markets continuing to lead the charge. The MSCI EM Index increased 2.2%, bolstered by a weak dollar and positive economic data out of China. With nine consecutive months of gains under its belt, the benchmark has returned 28.3% so far this year. At home, the […]