December Monthly Commentary
Global equities ended 2015 with a whimper as investors stayed on the sidelines while central banks in Europe and the US provided guidance on monetary policy. At home, the Federal Reserve raised rates, putting its target rate from 25-to-50 basis points. The anticipated move was well received by US markets which received a modest mid-month […]
Shareholder Activism Succeeds at American Electric Power
In 2014, the UUA co-filed a resolution with American Electric Power (AEP) requesting a review of the company’s public policy advocacy efforts on energy and climate change policy. In March of this year, Tim Brennan, CFO and Treasurer of the UUA, wrote an op-ed piece using the UUA’s moral and financial power to continue the […]
November Monthly Commentary
Global equities were subdued in November amid tempered investor sentiment on the heels of October’s bounce back from third quarter losses. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% as positive economic data not only provided a supportive backdrop, but also increased the likelihood the Federal Reserve will raise rates at its December meeting. As of the end of November, […]
UUCEF, LLC Subscription Agreements Due Now
UUCEF investing congregations, IMPORTANT NOTICE: Congregations wishing to invest their assets in the UU Common Endowment as of January 1, 2016 must complete a new subscription agreement immediately. These documents were mailed to all investing congregations in October. If you did not receive them, please notify us immediately by email or by calling Susan Helbert […]
Climate Change Toolkit
Many times the members of the UUA SRI Committee have questions from congregations, endowments and sometimes even institutional investors about what they can do with investment funds to impact climate change. CERES and their clean trillion campaign is one place that we direct fiduciaries with larger investment pools for ideas. Recently, a toolkit called Action On […]
UUA Signs Letter to the FDA
The UUA has long been concerned about the consequences of the systems of agriculture in use today, as reflected by our Ethical Eating Statement of Conscience. Additionally, UUA member congregations have a history of activism with corporations that engage in biotechnology, and we see this as an extension of those grass-roots efforts. The UUA, in […]
October Monthly Commentary
Global equities roared back in October, mostly erasing September’s losses amid declining volatility and continued monetary accommodation from the major central banks. The S&P 500 gained 8.4% on the month as global easing provided a supportive backdrop for equities, even as expectations of a rate hike in 2015 stand roughly at 50/50 following the Fed’s […]
**Attention UUCEF Account Holders**
Action Required To Remain Invested In The UUCEF! On October 9th the UUCEF, LLC mailed out a new Investment Information Memorandum, Subscription Agreement and, Operating Agreement. If you have not already received your package you should be receiving it very shortly. We must receive one completed Subscription Agreement for every account you currently hold in the UUCEF. […]
August Monthly Commentary
August was a difficult month as China’s surprise devaluation of the yuan fueled concerns around global growth and unleashed a wave of volatility, sparing few asset classes. For instance, the MSCI EM Index fell 9% as emerging market equities—especially China’s major trade partners—took a hit. Meanwhile, within developed markets, the S&P 500 dropped 6% and […]
September Monthly Commentary
Global equities were mostly negative in September as continuing growth concerns in China permeated markets and worried investors and central bankers alike. In the US, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) elected not to raise its target interest rate. As September closed, weak job growth data pushed market expectations of an initial rate increase into […]