(Falls Church, Virginia, 10/22/14) – Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds and sponsor of the Azzad Ethical Wrap Program, spoke at the 4th annual “ESG in Manager Selection and Monitoring” conference on October 21st. Held at the SUNY Global Center in New York City, the event brought together portfolio managers, analysts, investment officers, and others to discuss ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors and their impact on asset management mandates and measurement.
Azzad participated in a special session on faith-based investing, which offered insight into the role that religion can play in asset management, along with ways that different faith traditions incorporate the ESG factors of socially responsible investing (e.g., exclusionary screening of abortifacients by certain Christian investors).
The faith-based investing session also included representatives from the Mennonite, Catholic, and United Church of Christ congregations. It was moderated by Sarah Greenberg of MSCI ESG Research. In addition to exploring criteria for screening out unethical investments, the panelists each discussed the impact of their methodology on investment performance. Azzad referenced its recent research offering evidence that Shariah-screened indices, which favor industries like information technology and health care and exclude financial services, can outperform their broad-based conventional counterparts over the long term.
See: Impact of Islamic Investment Criteria on Performance
The one-day event was organized by Responsible Investor, a news and events service covering responsible investment, ESG, and sustainable finance for institutional investors globally.
ABOUT AZZAD
Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds and sponsor of the Azzad Ethical Wrap Program, is committed to providing investment services designed to help people enjoy optimum performance without compromising their values. Azzad is a member of the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions. The firm, based outside Washington, DC, is a registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Please consider a Fund’s objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before you invest. The prospectus contains this and other important information. For a hard copy, please call 1-888-350-3369. Read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The Azzad Funds are self-distributed. Azzad Asset Management serves as investment advisor.
Contact: Investment Communications Director Joshua Brockwell, 703-207-7005, ext. 109, joshua@azzad.net; Chief Compliance Officer Manal Fouz, 703-207-7005, ext. 115, manal@azzad.net
