US

Charles Schwab Corp. has acquired the technology and most of the remaining employees of Motif, the automated investing platform that closed its doors for good in April.

Mutual funds that broadly support sustainability saw inflows of $45.6 billion during the tumultuous first quarter, compared with outflows of $384.7 billion for mutual funds overall, according to a report from Morningstar Inc.

Global bond issuance linked to sustainability causes saw the kind of spike in April that is being attributed to a near-perfect supply and demand balance in terms of a debt market increasingly tuned in to social, environmental and governance issues.

Morningstar is doubling down on its commitment to sustainable investing research and analysis by acquiring the remaining 60% of the ESG analytics firm Sustainalytics that it didn’t already own.

Motif Investing, a digital brokerage that provided thematic investing and automated advice, has closed its doors for good.

Among the positives is the strength of investment strategies designed around environmental, social, and governance criteria which have been holding up in terms of relative performance.

Much like “greenwashing” that exaggerates or misrepresents the environmental credentials of a project or company, social washing can occur when the impact of an investment on labor rights or human rights are falsely overstated.

As we adjust to life with the coronavirus, uncertainty is the rule of the day. But one clear lesson is emerging: “business as usual” is over for companies that expect to thrive long term.