The Investment & Sustainable Business Outlook is a multi-disciplinary sustainable business magazine published by the Investment Outlook, a publishing unit of Accounting & Business Care – An Accounting & Sustainable Business Consultancy Firm.
This magazine aims to disseminate knowledge and foster dialogue to incorporate sustainable values across accounting, finance, investment, taxation, audit, and business practice.
The magazine accepts topics related to investment analysis, sustainable investment opportunities, sustainable financial instruments, sustainable accounting, sustainable finance, carbon accounting, carbon tax, carbon trading, environmental taxation, carbon audit, sustainable business innovation, and management practice, in addition to traditional accounting, finance, investment, taxation, and audit disciplines. The magazine has both print (ISSN: 2982-3226) and online (ISSN: 2982-3234) versions. The magazine welcomes scholarly contributions in the form of articles and reports from both academics and professionals.
Abstract: Our planet is on the verge of ecological imbalance. Our social justice, social equity, and economic prosperity are all outcomes and subsets of our planet’s ecological balance. The current state of ecological imbalance is due to anthropogenic economic activities and other human-induced factors, resulting in multiple interconnected risks worldwide. The return of our business and investment is dependent on these risk factors. If the ecological health of our planet declines, both our present and future social justice, equity, and economic prosperity could be jeopardised.
It is time to be a prudent investor by incorporating a sustainability perspective in investment decision-making so that capital allocation for business investment follows the principles of sustainable finance frameworks as laid out in The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI), Equator Principles (EI), and Principles for Responsible Banking. Hence, a community of sustainable investors can act as a catalyst for changing the mindset from business-as- usual
Key words: Sustainability, sustainable finance, sustainable investors, green investors, social impact investors, sustainable investment strategy, climate change, global risks.
Abstract: The future is uncertain and insecure; however, we must be hopeful for our future and must be prudent financial planners to maintain or improve our quality of life in future. The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are relatively safer investment products that help preserve the purchasing power of our capital and drive the growth of our savings for future economic prosperity. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are inherently diversified financial products with investment exposure to different asset classes, geographical markets, sectors, and investment strategies to minimize risk and maximize returns.
This article has mapped and analyzed, on average, 340+ ASX-listed ETFs across 19 ETF clusters between 2024 and 2025. A comprehensive analysis of all ETF clusters showed that, on average, ASX-listed ETFs provide 3.35% annual distribution (dividends & interest earnings), with a weighted-average 1-year total return of 27% and weighted-average 3 to 5 year total returns of 14.50% to 9.32%, respectively. In addition, the ETF market had experienced 17.28% capital growth between 2024 and 2025, with an indicative beta of 1.03.
Hence, ASX-listed diversified ETF portfolios are relatively inflation-proof, safer, and resilient investment opportunities for individual retail investors for future economic prosperity and retirement planning.
Key words: Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Investment strategy, Portfolio diversification
Abstract: A sustainable finance system is an emerging financial system that integrates sustainability issues into investment decision-making processes to promote an ecologically sustainable and inclusive economy. Within this system, Sustainability-focused Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are new financial instruments that facilitate the mobilization of capital from retail and institutional investors for the transition towards a sustainable economy.
On the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), 373 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are listed, of which 30 are sustainability-focused-(including green & climate-focused) ETFs. The investment analysis of sustainability-focused (including green & climate-focused) ETF portfolios show that, on average, these portfolios provide 2.56% annual distributions (dividends & interest earnings), with 1-year and 3-year total annual returns of 13.36% and 6.92%, respectively, relative to an average beta (riskiness) of 0.94.
Key words: Sustainable Finance, ESG Risk, Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Sustainable Investment strategy, Climate Change, Net Zero, Green Bond, Portfolio diversification, Responsible & Sustainable Investment (R&SI) Approaches.
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