This course is part of the ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux Specialization

Steven Levine

Offered By

ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux SpecializationInteractive Brokers

About this Course

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Through this ESG Investing: Industry Impacts & Transformations course, students with basic knowledge of traditional financial products can explore how certain financial market sectors have been transforming, amid a heightened focus on risk factors that underpin the three pillars of ESG. For example, what led age-old, iconic companies such as Borden and Dean Foods to file for bankruptcy?  How are traditional oil giants BP and Exxon Mobil managing the energy transition? And what steps are firms such as International Paper and WestRock taking to align their business operations with forestry concerns? Through a series of video, webinar, and reading modules, among other objectives, you’ll learn how to conduct critical analyses about certain market sector changes, including dairy, tobacco, energy, and forest products, as well as examine the potential role for certain commodities, as industries such as the auto sector undergo transformation. You should also be able to assess the potential impacts on the creditworthiness of certain high yield companies amid shifts in ESG strategies.

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Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 2 of 4 in the

ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux Specialization

Beginner Level

Previous investment experience is helpful but not required.

Approx. 24 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

Identify certain market sector changes, including dairy, tobacco, energy, and forest products.
Discuss shifts in certain company strategies aligned with ESG-related concerns.
Explore how to assess the potential impacts on the creditworthiness of certain high yield companies amid heightened attention to ESG-related risks.
Explain the potential role for certain commodities, as industries such as the auto sector undergo transformation.

Skills you will gain

Commodities
Tobacco
Forestry
Energy Transition
ESG risk analysis

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 2 of 4 in the

ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux Specialization

Beginner Level

Previous investment experience is helpful but not required.

Approx. 24 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Steven Levine

Senior Market Analyst

43,557 Learners

8 Courses

Offered by

Interactive Brokers

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

ESG's Influence on Business Sectors

ESG-related issues have impacted different business sectors in more or less dramatic ways, and as governments, companies, and their stakeholders increase their engagement with these concerns, traditional industries seem to be staging significant transformations. In this module, we explore how ESG has influenced material business sector shifts in the areas of forest products, energy, transportation, dairy, and healthcare, among others, to enable you to home in on asking critical questions when performing fundamental analysis.

4 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 11 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

ESG Investing: Credit Perspectives - Zeo Capital Advisors (Parts 1-3)

While the following webinar, “How to Make an Impact Through Credit Investing”, focuses on how heightened attention on ESG risk factors have impacted the businesses of certain high yield companies, Venk Reddy, founder and chief investment officer of Zeo Capital Advisors, also highlights several other related topics – including investment styles, such as ESG integrators and passive screeners, as well as discusses certain areas of concern, including green washing, and regulatory disclosures, which will be echoed in later lessons. Also, through this presentation, you’ll find out, among other objectives, how ESG analysis may be compared to credit analysis, why intentionality is a critical component in performing due diligence and company selection in a sustainable portfolio, as well as ways in which investors may be able to differentiate authentic management from marketing schemes.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 23 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

ESG Investing: Credit Perspectives - Zeo Capital Advisors (Parts 4-6)

The “How to Make an Impact Through Credit Investing” webinar continues with Venk Reddy, founder and CIO at Zeo Capital Advisors, addressing how high yield energy companies are generally managing the transition towards alternative energy, as well as the risk/reward profile of ESG-related vs non-ESG business sectors, and outlines a process for conducting fundamental analysis on an ESG-related, fixed income portfolio.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 24 min)

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

ESG Investing: Credit Perspectives - Zeo Capital Advisors (Parts 7-8)

2 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 14 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week5

Week 5

1 hour to complete

Energy Transition: Industry Insights - WisdomTree Europe (Parts 1-3)

In this module, we’ll take a deeper look at how the transportation sector is transforming in the wake of ESG-related concerns – and how, as a result, the supply and demand dynamics for certain financial assets, such as commodities, may change. The following webinar, “Batteries: Harnessing the Power of the Energy Transition”, presented by Nitesh Shah, research director at WisdomTree Europe, examines, among other topics, a proposed trajectory for electric vehicle sales, and how advancements in battery technology are opening new markets – from electric vehicles to energy storage systems. Shah also details how he expects electric vehicles to drive lithium-ion battery growth and highlights how certain commodities may benefit from their increased production. He further outlines how certain equities may also benefit across all parts of the value chain.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 19 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week6

Week 6

1 hour to complete

Energy Transition: Industry Insights - WisdomTree Europe (Parts 4-6)

The “Batteries: Harnessing the Power of the Energy Transition” webinar continues with Nitesh Shah, research director at WisdomTree Europe, providing an outlook on the costs of batteries, as well as a forward-looking comparison of purchasing electric vs internal combustion engine vehicles. Shah also walks through the supply/demand dynamics of renewable energies, as well as the commodities that are used to produce batteries.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 20 min)

Week7

Week 7

5 hours to complete

Energy Transition: Industry Insights - WisdomTree Europe (Parts 7-9)

5 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 20 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

Week8

Week 8

8 hours to complete

Reading Reinforcements

This Reading Reinforcement module provides you with more detailed information about specific business sector and individual company shifts in the wake of different sustainability-driven issues. After completion, you should be able to describe how certain of SASB’s industry standards align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as related changes in market sectors and companies’ strategies.

8 hours to complete

1 video (Total 1 min), 8 readings, 2 quizzes

1 video

Reading Reinforcements1m

8 readings

S&P Global Ratings Recognizes PMI’s Business Transformation as Industry Differentiator10mPMI - SASB Content Index (2020)30mPMI - 2020 Form 10K (Final as Filed with SEC)2h 30mPMI - Integrated-Report (2020)3hSASB - Tobacco Standard (2018)40mPMI - Sustainability (Press Release, May 2019)10mS&P - PMI ESG Evaluation (May 2021)10mBusiness Insider - PMI UK Cigarette Ban (July 2021)10m

1 practice exercise

S&P Global Ratings: Philip Morris International (PMI) - Quiz35m

About the ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux Specialization

As ESG investing continues to evolve towards a global standard, certain initiatives such as the UN’s sustainable development goals, and the Paris Agreement on climate change, have already spurred significant changes across the financial markets.

As the title of this specialization suggests, financial decisions by investors, as well as capital deployment by companies, organizations, and governments, have been shifting amid increasing attention to environmental, social, and governance-related concerns. By the end of this specialization, students with basic knowledge of traditional financial products (e.g., stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, commodities) should obtain a solid background on how ESG investing principles originated, and how related governing frameworks, analytical strategies, and investment products are evolving in the financial markets, including a proliferation of various fixed-income instruments and thematic ETFs. Moreover, you'll acquire insights into some of the benefits and drawbacks of Big Data as a complement to fundamental analysis, and how developments in data science, including machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and sentiment analysis algorithms, may be used for actionable accountability. You will further be able to detail why ESG investing remains a work in progress and list some anticipated developments for its future. We look forward to you joining us! For more information about Interactive Brokers, visit https://ibkr.com

ESG Investing: Financial Decisions in Flux

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ESG Investing: Industry Impacts & Transformations

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain