Over 6,500 funds that were sold to retail investors around the world have been found to have high exposure to controversial weapons, casting doubt over the asset managers’ efforts to invest responsibly. Specifically, the research reviewed the global mutual funds’ exposure to chemical and biological weapons, cluster munitions, white phosphorus, laser weapons, nuclear weapons, and several more. The research also found that 6,678 mutual funds had at least 5% of their portfolio invested in companies that either manufacture or distribute these weapons. Experts are worried that this callous way to make a profit will do nothing to restore trust in the financial services industry.
See Aime Williams, Mutual Funds Have Exposure to Controversial Weapons, Financial Times, March 26, 2017.
