Editor's Letter - April 2015
The first quarter of the year is now under our belts and a return in confidence is palpable in most markets. Investor sentiment in Europe has hit a peak, the German equity market is climbing once more, and confidence is up for India’s CEOs. Most markets, it seems, are returning to prosperity.
In the April issue of Finance Monthly, we look at Sustainable Investment – the ability to make money and still do good (or not do bad, depending on your approach to SI). It’s an alternative investment market that is on the rise, pushed on by generation X and Y, who now control the investment dollars and want a more ‘feel good’ return on their investment.
According to data just released by the Global Sustainable Investment Association (GSIA), the global sustainable investment market was worth $21.4 trillion (€19.5 trillion) at the start of 2014.
Writing about the SI market got me thinking of the true price of profit. Here in the UK, our health minister signed a landmark deal with GlaxoSmithKline for a nationwide meningitis B vaccination programme in March. It is the first of its kind in the world, which is cause for celebration.
However, the deal took more than a year to come to the table, as the Government and the drugmaker haggled over price. Both parties were vilified – the Government for not being prepared to spend, and the manufacturer for not being prepared to offer a lower price. In the end, both said the deal represented ‘fair value’ but what was the true cost of the 12-month delay?
March also saw the launch of Finance Monthly’s new e-newsletter. Now, you can receive all the latest news from the world of corporate finance direct to your inbox. Sign up today via our website.
In next month’s magazine we will be looking in-depth at actuarial services, immigration, data protection and much more.
In the meantime, please visit our website to stay up-to-date on industry news as it happens, have your say via our online poll, and don’t forget to nominate your finance hero or villain via our Twitter competition. Tweet us @finance_monthly and the hashtag #Heroes&Villains to be in with a chance of winning one of ten copies of Heroes and Villains of Finance by A Baldwin.
Sarah McCay
Editor – Finance Monthly
