SG wins best SRI research award as sector booms: Thomson Reuters Extel Survey

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has been identified as one of the most important growing trends amongst fund managers by the Thomson Reuters Extel Survey, considered an industry benchmark in buy-side and sell-side developments.
The survey said 64% of fund management firms now run up to 5% of their total assets on an SRI basis, as opposed to 47% in 2007. In addition, 87% of respondents said they expect increasing SRI involvement over the next 12 months. The survey also found that 90% of respondents cited board independence as their most crucial current corporate governance concern. The 2008 Survey represents the weighted views of over 7,500 investment professionals from 63 countries.This year’s survey garnered in excess of 200,000 votes.
In the Thomson Reuters Extel ranking for leading pan-European brokerage firm for SRI & sustainability research, France’s Société Générale came out on top, leap-frogging last year’s best SRI research house Citi, which came in second. Paris-based Cheuvreux, the brokerage and research arm of Crédit Agricole, was placed third.
The voting was conducted by over 1,600 buy-side firms, 150 brokerage firms/research houses and 450 of Europe’s largest quoted companies. All data, votes received and methodology applied were independently checked and verified by Deloitte.