What is social investing? Institutional investment in sustainable infrastructure firms listed on the ASX drove a 7% price gain over the previous quarter, outperforming general market benchmarks. Of course, a more generous COLA might help seniors on Social Security feel better about their financial prospects. And in that regard, there's some good news. In the first half of 2025, sustainable funds posted net inflows of $16 billion, or 0.5% of AUM at the end of 2024. While the first quarter had net outflows of $3.2 billion, the second quarter had net inflows of $19.3 billion. Inflows into sustainable funds continue to track lower than in recent years, with 2022 and 2023 full-year inflows each totaling more than $100 billion, and 2024’s totaling $80.6 billion. Traditional funds continue to attract stronger net inflows. What is social investing? The latest market breadth data indicates that ESG-tracked ETFs accounted for 28% of net equity ETF inflows in May, showing strong momentum for socially directed investment strategies.
