INVESTMENT INSIGHTS BLUE PAPER | NOVEMBER 2020

Friday 13 November 2020

Amundi Institute, Insights Paper

We use monthly credit excess return in the EUR denominated Investment Grade bond universe for regression analysis and factor picking. ESG was making its way to becoming a mainstream factor within the Investment Grade universe and when the COVID-19 stress hit the financial markets, it displayed a “hedge-like” behavior. We had previously identified that better ESG and lower cost of capital were related, however the realization of this feature in a stress environment is worth investors’ attention.