Divestment and Negative Screening
Wondering how the UUA defines divestment and negative screening? Those definitions were provided at this year’s General Assembly. Divestment is the act of publicly and intentionally selling shares of a company as a part of a vocal movement due to a desire to reprimand them for the behavior. To be effective, it requires a coalition […]
May Monthly Commentary
US equity returns were modestly positive in May as investors digested mostly lukewarm economic data. The S&P 500 returned 1.8% and the Russell 2000 gained 2.3% on the month. The month began with investors speculating the Federal Open Market Committee might raise rates in June however this expectation was quickly quelled as US job growth numbers […]
An Update for UUCEF, LLC Account Holders
A quick update to UUCEF unit holders regarding the annual shareholder meeting at Exxon Mobile. Shareholder pressure is increasing for various types of responses to climate change. We are hopeful that this proxy voting season will result in progress on the climate front.
Progress in Clean Climate Advocacy
The UUA has long been a leader in shareholder advocacy on environmental issues—a role that was affirmed by the 2014 business resolution on fossil fuel divestment. Working with other active shareholders and advocates, the UUA is helping to uncover deceptive and non-science based advocacy by fossil fuel companies. Additionally, the UUA’s past efforts have set the […]
A Big Win for Proxy Access
SEC Issues No-Action Letters Regarding Shareholder Proposals Contested on “Substantial Implementation” Grounds 03/10/2016 Bruce Newsome , Weston Love On February 12, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued18 no-action letters concerning requests to exclude proxy access shareholder proposals from proxy materials pursuant to Rule 14a-8(i)(10) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Rule 14a-8(i)(10) […]
April Monthly Commentary
Global markets were calmer in April following a volatile first quarter amid easing concerns of a sharp economic slowdown in China and as the Federal Reserve reconfirmed a gradual pace to increasing interest rates. The S&P 500 gained 0.4% while emerging market equities returned 0.5%. Non-US developed equity markets led the way with the MSCI […]
Attention UUCEF, LLC Account Holders
Did you know that you can access your monthly and year-to-date statements online? If you’d like to sign up for online access please click on the “Reports” tab and from the dropdown menu select “Forms and Sign up for Online Statements”. Complete the fields requested and hit “Send your request”; you’ll receive your credentials via […]
SRIC Announces New Human Rights Screen
Today, the UUA Socially Responsible Investment Committee (SRIC) is announcing that the UUCEF (Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund) has a new screen that places a spotlight on human rights. Previously, human rights was merged in our screening process with other issues, but is now being considered on a stand-alone basis to allow for focus and […]
March Monthly Commentary
Following a rocky start to the first quarter, stocks rallied in March as global currencies strengthened versus the dollar amid renewed investor confidence, and commodity prices showed signs of stabilization. Emerging market equities led the charge with the MSCI EM Index returning 13.2%; the S&P 500 gained 6.8%, swinging back to positive territory year-to-date as […]
February Monthly Commentary
Global equities recorded modest losses in February as mixed economic data gave investors pause on the heels of January’s sharp drawdown. The S&P 500 was nearly flat, losing 0.1%, as concerns around slowing global growth trumped positive data on US inflation and an upward revision to fourth quarter GDP. International developed equities lost 1.8%, according […]