Ossiam and Barclays are celebrating the third anniversary of the creation of the Ossiam ESG Low Carbon Shiller Barclays CAPE US Sector UCITS ETF.
Ossiam launched the exchange-traded fund in April 2018 as a low carbon and ESG version of the existing Ossiam Shiller Barclays CAPE® US Sector Value ETF for investors looking to improve their climate impact and ESG-related exposure, followed by listing on stock exchanges in June. It is listed on Borsa Italiana, Euronext Paris, London Stock Exchange, Swiss SIX and Xetra.
Since inception the fund’s assets under management have increased to reach USD 417.6m.
The strategy’s adaptability as fundamentally value-driven, but with the ability to rotate in and out of sectors, has enhanced its performance where the value factor has underperformed over the same time period (see table below). The combination of the strategy’s sector rotation and stock picking determined by ESG and carbon criteria delivered strong results specifically in 2020, a year in which sector dispersion has been particularly high, with 7.1% outperformance versus S&P500 (see table below).
In 2019, the fund was one of four Ossiam ETFs granted the official French government SRI label (“Label ISR” in French). It complies with article 8 of the Sustainable Finance Directive Regulation.
Professor Robert Shiller said, “I am pleased with the performance of the fund on the three-year anniversary. ESG is becoming a major narrative that I believe is important for the world. That said, I think investors need to be cognisant of valuations amidst the growing demand for ESG products and I believe our product helps them with its focus on still under-valued sectors.”
Bruno Poulin, CEO of Ossiam, said, “We are delighted that the fund has passed this milestone and delivered solid performance. The three-year mark is a key stage in a new fund’s existence, as proof-of-concept and in demonstrating its relevance to investors. This fund has demonstrated that making a contribution to sustainability goals with a well-designed ESG policy can go hand-in-hand with the financial objectives of the strategy.”
Ben Redmond, Head of QIS Structuring EMEA at Barclays, said, “Adding the ESG feature to the fund has proven beneficial, not only for performance reasons, but also in helping clients adopt a more ESG-focused approach to their investments. We are optimistic for further asset growth given many investors require a three-year track record.”