Market Perspectives
Zevin Asset Management
Q3 2024 Market Outlook

Maybe it really is different this time. A typical business cycle usually consists of an overheating economy followed by higher policy rates imposed by central banks. This eventually leads to a slowing economy, and in 6 out of the last 7 monetary tightening episodes in the U.S since 1970, the economy has fallen into recession. Higher lending rates slow consumption, leading to layoffs, which further slows consumption and more layoffs, and so on. However, this cycle has been different so far. When the Fed began raising interest rates in 2022 to fight inflation, the personal consumption response was much more muted than usual, thanks to previous emergency pandemic stimulus. The U.S. economy has slowed somewhat in response to tighter monetary policy, but employers have been mostly reluctant to implement significant layoffs with the fresh and painful memory of the 2020-2021 pandemic reopening when consumer demand rebounded sharply but employers had a hard time finding workers to satisfy demand. So-called “labor hoarding” has become a significant attribute of the current economic cycle, which has contributed to the relative strength in the labor market, consumption, and the economy in general.

Marcela Pinilla

How We Are Responding to the Climate Crisis

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluded, once again, that unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C in the next few decades will be beyond reach. Climate scientists continue to warn that structural changes in our economy are needed to mitigate the greatest harms of climate change. Meaningful policy changes are the most important strategy to address this, but the role of sustainable investing is also key.

Q2 2022 Impact Update

At Zevin Asset Management, we build responsible investment portfolios to satisfy our clients’ goals. We then address risks and create positive social impact by engaging with portfolio companies. This quarter, we wrapped up the 2022 proxy season and continued to build on past engagement successes. As we make progress, we also identify and seek to address emerging challenges. Please see the end of our update for a summary of the proxy season.

Zevin Asset Management’s Testimony to EPA in Support of Clean Truck Rule

On March 28, 2022, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule that would set new, more stringent standards to reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year (MY) 2027. The proposed standards would significantly reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines and set more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for certain commercial vehicle categories.

Zevin Asset Management presented the following testimony in a virtual public hearing at EPA for the proposed rule.