How humans have reacted to pandemics through history – a visual guide

We are delighted to present JAMES GIFFORD, who founded the PRI initiative which now has nearly 1,200 institutions from more than 50 countries as signatories, including many of the world’s largest pension funds, insurance companies, and investment managers. They manage combined assets of more than US $34 trillion. James Gifford was also named in 2010 by the World Economic Forum as one of 200 Young Global Leaders.

Munich, 16 October 2013 – There is currently a high level of uncertainty on the international financial markets, due to the budget dispute in the USA surrounding the proposed raising of the borrowing limit. The markets are waiting with bated breath to see whether the Democrats and the Republicans will be able to agree on raising the debt ceiling, which currently stands at just under 17 trillion US dollars. The key question for investors is whether the USA and other countries will be able to pay back the debts they have taken on or whether, as in the case of the debt cut in Greece, they can expect to see losses on their investments. A recent study based on sustainability rating agency oekom research’s country ratings shows that sustainability ratings are a reliable indicator of countries’ solvency and that taking sustainability ratings into account allows investors to make a better assessment of the overall risks.

Insights into the impact of COVID-19 on different areas of business and finance have been shared by academics from the ICMA Centre and Henley Business School in a new book published online today. A New World Post-COVID-19: Lessons for Business, the Finance Industry and Policy Makers explores the effect of the pandemic through a range of topics, including financial markets, travel and tourism, AI and big data, pensions, and entrepreneurship.