Green investors have been rewarded for their principled approach after it was revealed that the performance of the ethical funds sector had improved over the past year.
The latest survey from Moneyfacts showed that ethical investment funds had enjoyed strong returns over the last 12 months. The Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS) also recently revealed that investments into green and ethical funds in the UK had hit a record high.
EIRIS defines an ethical fund as ‘any fund which decides that shares are acceptable, or not, according to positive or negative ethical criteria (including environmental criteria)’.
Since ethical investment, by definition, reduces the number of shares, securities or funds in which you can invest, it tends to increase the volatility of the portfolio and therefore the risk profile. This can be mitigated by diversifying between funds, and between different styles of funds and fund managers. Like their non-ethical equivalents, some ethical funds are much higher risk than others.
The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back your original investment. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Tax benefits may vary as a result of statutory change and their value will depend on individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates and tax legislation may change in subsequent finance acts.
