ESG Initiative News

The higher unemployment rate may not be a bad thing this time

Five people sit cross legged holding papers and laptops.

(Outlet: Marketplace) The dust is starting to settle from the global stock market sell-off Monday. One development that helped spark fear among investors was the increase in the U.S. unemployment rate, which ticked up to 4.3% in July from 4.1% in June. A rising jobless rate is not, on the face of it, usually a good thing. But this time, the reasons might not be so bad.…Read More

Choosing Penn: Four incoming first years reflect on domestic, international college applications

Facade of the UPenn Visitor Center.

(Outlet: The Daily Pennsylvanian) Many students among the over 65,000 domestic and international applicants to Penn’s Class of 2028 applied to schools both in the United States and abroad. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with two international and two domestic students who applied to both universities abroad and in the United States to understand the differences in application processes and why all four ultimately chose Penn.…Read More

J.D. Vance, critic of climate action, has a green-tinted portfolio

The GOP's vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, arrives on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

(Outlet: E&E News) Sen. J.D. Vance has little love for ESG investing — going so far to call the socially conscious financial strategy a “massive racket” during a 2022 interview. But a review of financial disclosure forms filed by former President Donald Trump’s new running mate finds several investments that could fit neatly into an ESG portfolio. The investments add a new wrinkle to Vance’s mercurial relationship with climate politics. “Anyone with a really large portfolio is going to be pretty well-diversified across a lot of asset classes, including those that ESG investors might overweight,” said Daniel Garrett, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.…Read More

Home Insurance Rates in America Are Wildly Distorted. Here’s Why.

National Bureau of Research map showing annual home insurance premiums across the US in 2023.

(Outlet: The New York Times) Climate change is driving rates higher, but not always in areas with the greatest risk. Getting a detailed look at the cost of insurance in different parts of the United States has been almost impossible until now because private insurers don’t publicly disclose what they charge. But two researchers, Benjamin Keys, a professor of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Philip Mulder, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Business, found a workaround.…Read More