Baillie Gifford: US anti-ESG movement is 'short-sighted'

‘Where do you draw the line?’

The anti-ESG movement in the US has become a delicate issue for global fund houses and managers, which must balance addressing growing investment and social demand with client backlash in the world’s most liquid market.

Global ESG focused equity funds were the most popular investment category last year with UK retail investors, according to data from the Calastone Fund Flow Index, taking 40% of net equity fund inflows for the period. But a steady pushback against ESG investing has progressed in the US, with almost 100 Republican-sponsored anti-ESG bills filled so far this year, already more than double the total in 2022, according to Reuters. No Bloomberg and no intraday performance: Inside Baillie Gifford's long-term approach One of the key debates concerns US pension funds, as a result of measur...