ESG Funds Underperformed in 2023. Backlash Wasn’t the Problem.
Do well by doing good? Don’t count on it. Funds that invest using environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, criteria underperformed for a second consecutive year. According to data from Morningstar Direct, sustainable U.S. equity funds were up an average 21.6%, including dividends, through Dec. 31, trailing the S&P 500 total returns index by about