Tag: Socially Responsible Investing

  • Israeli UBQ Is Going To Save The Planet

    Israeli UBQ Is Going To Save The Planet

    3 min read

    Israeli UBQ Is Going To Save The Planet

     

    You have already been reading about socially responsible investing. Traders-paradise, also, wrote about it, you can find it if you join our Investing course. 

    Socially responsible investing, you can find under the names: social investment, also as sustainable, socially conscious, “green” or ethical investing.

    It is an investment strategy which tries to view both financial return and social or environmental good. That means to produce a positive change in both fields.

    Socially responsible investors have different aims for their investments. But one thing is crucial, they always examine moral, human, environmental and governance standards as well as a financial return.

    They are focused on companies which manage a business that have a socially positive impact.

    They may venture investments, that will provide important social or environmental goods. To this corpus goes community development loan funds or portfolios with cleantech.

    We found some interesting story in Jerusalem Post. It is all about socially responsible investing. 

    Despite growing attempts to recycle rejected household goods, the final place where it ends is a non-regulated garbage dump. That may cause vast ecological problems. The methane and other very dangerous gases are delivered to the atmosphere. Yes, everyone is considered about it but there are not many companies that really take care of it.

    One of them is Israeli UBQ. 

    It is based in Kibbutz Tze’elim and founded last year. This company found the solution on how to convert the household garbage into “the thermoplastic material that can be used for commercial and industrial products instead of petroleum-based plastics.”, published in the Jerusalem Post. This fresh company already earned notable attention almost all over the world. 

    “We have created a new natural resource from the household waste that ends up in landfills, avoiding its decomposition into harmful gases, while replacing scarce and expensive plastic materials made from oil,” UBQ co-founder and chief executive Jack (Tato) Bigio told The Jerusalem Post. “That’s a blessing to the industry. Many companies in the last 10 to 20 years have emerged with solutions that turn out to flop in one way or another. Never again,” he added.

    What UBQ Materials exactly is doing?

    Israeli UBQ Is Going To Save The Planet

     

    “What UBQ is doing is taking all these valuable materials that are thrown away and bringing them back to life in an up-cycling way,” said Bigio. “We’re replacing a very expensive and scarce resource, and all of a sudden coming much closer to a truly circular economy. The value proposition is incredible.”

    And here is the proportion: creating one ton of UBQ is equal to the melting of 35 sqm. of Arctic iceberg, or the seizure of almost 550 trees over 10 years old. For every ton of UBQ Material used, up to 15tons of CO2eq is saved.

    Can you imagine?

    UBQ’s international advisory board

    The company’s scientific advisory board consists of Nobel Prize winner Prof. Roger Kornberg, nano-tech specialist Prof. Oded Shoseyov, patent practitioner Dr. Ilan Cohen, sustainability pioneer John Elkington, and here is also a former EU commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard.

    And how this innovative technology is connected to investment?

    “One of the first rules of sustainability is being cash-flow positive,” said UBQ chief sustainability officer Christopher Sveen. “If you want to change markets, you need to have an economic incentive. People will be incentivized by environmental propositions, but financial competitive nature accelerates the adoption cycles. We’re less expensive than plastics that come from oil.”

    The first investors in UBQ are Sabra Dipping Co. founder Yehuda Pearl and Ajover Group CEO Albert Douer. Douer already owns 16 plastic factories in eight countries.

    Why sustainable investments is so important?

    The importance of sustainable investments is growing. The proponents of a sustainable investment strategy claim that they generate outperformance.

    One thing is sure, the returns generated by socially responsible investing are bigger.

    Socially responsible companies treat their employees in a good manner, produce healthy products.

    In this type of business, investing is not just about getting a profit. It’s about raising of responsibility and sustainability.

    Traders-Paradise found on their website: “UBQ envisions a world where finite resources are infinitely reused. In this way, we aim to help rescue the planet.”

    The bottom line

    Socially responsible investing enables you to invest your money in the right place. 

    Invest in companies that are not going to destroy the environment. By investing in socially responsible businesses you’re keeping your plate clean and safe. Your food, your lives, your children’s lives depend on that. 

    Moreover, you will earn more. Recently, some academic research revealed a strong connection between ESG and financial performance. Just because a company is building a more positive impact, that does not mean they are producing a less return.  Research has suggested that socially responsible focused companies are more sustainable in the long-term.

    The statistic shows that 89% of investors in socially responsible companies claim these are meeting their return expectations. 

    If you want to become a socially responsible investor, you should do that with a robo advisor. There are other ways, of course, but this is the easiest one.

    Some of the most popular robo advisors have socially responsible investing tracks, focused on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). With as little as $50 investment you can start with a robo advisor focused completely on SRI.

  • Investment prediction for 2019 – Traders Paradise prediction

    Investment prediction for 2019 – Traders Paradise prediction

    Investment predictions for 2019 - Traders Paradise prediction 1The image is taken from depositphotos.com

    By Guy Avtalyon

    Investment prediction for 2019. is in front of you, so let’s start.

    Investment prediction is a really tricky job. This year has been full of market volatility, climate disasters, personal data frauds, economic insecurity.

    And now, in the end, we are waiting for a fresh start? Things never go in that direction. It looks that 2019 promises to be in a mess. That’s why Traders Paradise is trying to predict what will be real in the next year. And we find this, some other guys may find something different:

    Bear market – is here

    Nearly half the stocks in the S&P 500 index are in a bear market at the end of this year. They are down 20% from their highs.

    The second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, NASDAQ, is officially in bear territory. If you don’t know yet how to trade- here’s our full guide.

    All signs are pointing to more damage to the stocks.

    Equity markets in more than 20 countries are in bear territory. Investors are worried about how bad it will be and how long it will last.

    Bears are necessary and unavoidable cycles in markets and have been for centuries. But they are cruel. This will be a great theme in 2019. That is our investment prediction.

    And each investor should be prepared and to diversify the portfolio. 

    Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    One investment prediction, more.

    Japanese tech company Groove X introduced a robot whose task is to make people happy. The “Lovot” uses artificial intelligence. It can mimic human empathy.

    This cute robot represents the revolution of artificial intelligence. “Robot” can feel emotions and communicate with people. It is 3kg tall and 43cm tall, the optical camera helps it move. And can be our new friend for $5,300. Some cost us even more.

    There’s a vertiginous line of AI applications on the table right now. We expect this term will be very popular in 2019 and the list will become larger.

    Obviously you can find all sort of information on the internet about machine learning and AI, like these articles on Wikipedia for example, but the concept is quite simple: You run an algorithm (there are many) on the set of data, and once the algorithm is finished, the software will know how to run by itself on new sets of data, even if it’s never been seen.

    There are 2 types of algorithm methods READ HERE

    Socially Responsible Investing – Impact investing

    Socially responsible, or ESG investing accounts for environmental, social, and governance factors. But does not necessarily result in worse performance. There are those that think ESG investing can outperform the markets, and there are those who strongly believe the contrary. There are specific examples that will back up both sides of the argument.

    People are often asking us what is a social enterprise, and we are usually answering by asking “what is social investing?”. Sometimes the phrase is social impact investing; sometimes it just impacts investing.

    Impact investing carries risk, that’s true. But also it generates great returns and impact. It is smart and moreover, profitable to invest in companies that actively have positive social or environmental influences. It is a step further than divesting from negative impacts. For example, allocate your investment portfolio away from fossil fuels. Instead, use your money to consciously tackle society’s challenges. And to make a financial return, of course.

    Investors’ concerns

    Investors sometimes ask how much return they will have to trade-off in order to make impact investments.

    Firstly, there is no “impact see-saw”. Just because a business is creating a more positive impact, that does not mean they are creating a less financial return. Indeed, in many cases, because the impact is at the heart of the business model, the more impact they create, the more profit they make, and vice versa. Some research even suggested that impact-focused businesses are more sustainable and profitable in the long-term.

    In any investment, there are different levels of risk and return and there are also different levels of impact. An impact investment may be riskier. It has high returns and high impact. Or, it could be less risky since it brings market-rate returns and significant social or environmental impact.

    As with any investment, it depends on the business or the fund.

    The statistic shows that 89% of investors making impact investments find these are meeting their return expectations, and 54% of investors are targeting market-rate or above market-rate returns.

    There are many ways to get involved in impact investing. Crowdfunding has even helped retail investors, who have less risk capital, to get involved in this space.

    Generally, our investment prediction that this kind of investment will be more popular in the next year.

    Blockchain

    Traders Paradise’s investment prediction is this will be one of the most popular terms in 2019.

    Blockchain technology provides a way to make transactions and transfers online without the use of an intermediary. Instead of trusting a third party to keep the transaction history safe and accurate, blockchain technology lets you seal “pages” of transactions with a key code for security.

    One of the most relevant reasons that many companies are adopting blockchain technology is efficiency. We can all realize how exchanges can become quicker. And simpler too, when they don’t have to go through a third party. It’s also beginning to move document authentication toward obsolescence, removing a step in the translational process.

    How To Make Money With Blockchain Technology READ THIS TOO: 

    Blockchain technology can also make companies feel like their information is safer and more secure. In an age where hacking banks cannot always resist off attempts to attack people’s financial privacy. Therefore, blockchain technology is a way to feel a greater sense of control over transactions.

    Short Selling

    Many experienced investors think that short selling has an important part in the markets. It improves price discovery and rational capital allocation. At the same time,  prevents financial bubbles and finding fraud.
    Shorting is a trading strategy where traders are selling a borrowed stock with a belief that it will drop in value. So, they can buy it back later at a lower price. Academic research has shown the stocks of companies that complain about short-sellers tend to falter.

    Investment prediction can be an ungrateful job

    This term is already hot.  Let’s show how much on the example of TESLA.

    It is a stressful time to be an investor in Tesla, of course. On September 29th shares in the electric-car manufacturer soared by 17% after its boss, Elon Musk, settled fraud charges with America’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Just days later, on October 4th, a series of belligerent tweets by the firm ’s founder sent shares tumbling by more than 7%.

    You might be interested Apple is charging its batteries with Tesla’s employees 

    The tweets in question were targeted at short-sellers, who aim to make money by selling borrowed shares and buying them back later at a lower price. With a quarter of its publicly traded shares lent out to facilitate short-sellers’ bets, Tesla is one of the most heavily shorted companies in America. Elon Musk has publicly feuded with short-sellers for years, calling them “haters”, “jerks” and “not super smart”. Research suggests that such insults are undeserved. Short-sellers are savvy investors who help to keep the market’s exuberance in check.

    So, Traders Paradise believes that short-selling may continue in the next year. The bear market just started.

    So, think about this investment prediction.

    Unlike Amazon stock – which we truly believe will rise and get to new highs.

    Our investment predictions are based on personal research and act as an observation about what we all can expect in the coming year. But we have to admit, nothing good. We hope we are wrong.

    Anyway, we wish you a healthy, happy, and fruitful new year! You can have it!