Some of the biggest names in finance are benefitting from a lack of reliable ESG data in emerging markets. Federated Hermes is one firm that has spent considerable time over the past year building its ESG exposure to emerging markets. The company says “artificially low” environmental, social and governance ratings have created opportunities for investors. Martin Todd, a portfolio manager at Federated Hermes told Bloomberg that “the mainstream ESG ratings firms often give emerging-market stocks a lower ranking because of fewer disclosures relative to companies listed in the developed markets. That’s created some really interesting valuation opportunities.” In emerging markets, ESG regulations are less advanced than in developed markets and ratings aren’t as established. In fact, ESG ratings for emerging market companies are artificially low due to a lack of disclosure, not because of any particular concern. While that creates an extra layer of risk for some investors, for firms with deep pockets, it provides an opportunity to beat the market.

Finsum:Fund managers are generating alpha in emerging market ESG stocks due to a lack of disclosure and artificially low ratings.