Gender lens equity funds: The first major test
Current downturn presents a significant challenge, no matter the shape of subsequent recovery
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AMID the unfolding global pandemic and economic downturn, equities plunged during the first quarter. The S&P 500 Index returned -19.6 per cent and the MSCI World Index posted three-month returns of -21.05 per cent, as developed and emerging markets indexes were all down steeply.
Among gender lens indexes, the MSCI World Women's Leadership Index declined 25.63 per cent, and the MSCI USA Women's Leadership Index fell 24.96 per cent. The Solactive Equileap Global Gender Equality 100 Leadership Index returned -23.90 per cent. The Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, which announced a 2020 expansion from 230 to 325 companies in 42 countries, posted a decline of over 30 per cent.
How did gender lens funds fare in the first quarter?
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