Last month, I attended an event in New York that coincided with the release of the first standards set by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). For me and others who have contributed to the development of standardized sustainability disclosures for years, it was a cause for celebration. I truly believe ISSB will become the leader in sustainability reporting, helping solve one of the biggest challenges facing sustainable investors today.

I also recognize that many readers have not heard of ISSB and do not know what challenge I’m referring to! With this in mind, I wanted to dive further into the topic in this blog.

In our latest quarterly takeaways blog, Wespath's Joe Halwax and Neil Sobczak break down market performance and news from Q2, highlighting trends like the rise of AI and recapping the latest on inflation and Federal Reserve policy.

While both equity and fixed income securities had significant negative returns in 2022, commodities were a bright spot. However, commodities were the worst performing asset class in the financial markets in 2023 through May. Wespath’s Andrew Steedman explains what has led to the negative performance of commodities in 2023. And he looks at the impact on Wespath.

May 15 Update: Negotiations to raise the U.S. debt ceiling are continuing ahead of the June 1 “X-date,” which is the day Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the government’s borrowing limits could be reached. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have scheduled meetings this week to discuss a potential deal. Remember that in 2011 a deal was reached just two days before the “X-date,” so while this can be nerve wracking, we have seen this before. To date, U.S. stocks have not seen much debt ceiling-related pressure.

In this quarter-end commentary, Wespath Managing Director Joe Halwax provides perspective on a persistently difficult economic landscape, including stubbornly high inflation, the Fed’s continued stance, a looming global recession, Europe’s energy crisis, the strength of the U.S. dollar, and more. Joe also indicates key areas to watch in the coming quarter.