Category: Global Environmental Opportunities

  Giving Cleantech a Bad Name   We are cringing following the latest announced capital raise by Plug Power, Inc.  Although we are not investors in Plug Power, the company frustrates us nonetheless as it highlights the type of corporate behavior that hurts the cleantech investment case.  If you are unfamiliar with the Plug Power story, consider yourself lucky that... Read more ›

    Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) January 2024 Update     For the quarter and the year, GEOS significantly outperformed the secondary benchmark, the Wilderhill Clean Energy Index, as has been consistent with our track record during times of volatility amidst the clean tech sector. GEOS underperformed the primary MSCI World Index for the year, given significant headwinds... Read more ›

  Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) December 2023 Update     The recently difficult equity returns environment for the Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) abated in the month of November 2023 given positive updates from management teams, broader equity market participation, and some coding from the Federal Reserve that inflationary declines are resonating and on target. Currently, world... Read more ›

    Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) November 2023 Update     Equity market volatility continued in the month of October 2023, with expanding geopolitical crises amidst continued globally tight credit conditions. As the Federal Reserve paused on interest rate hikes, the market continued to worry about a forthcoming recession, placing continued pressure on smaller, growth oriented corporate equity... Read more ›

    Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) October 2023 Update   In his 1987 letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett described the difference between short term trading and long-term investing using the metaphor of a voting machine versus a weighing machine. In the near term, the market can behave like a political contest, determining equity share prices based on popularity,... Read more ›

  Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) September 2023 Update     The month of August 2023 was a very difficult month for equities, especially smaller public equity shares. While it is hard to generalize an earnings season, second quarter earnings were muted, with many companies meeting earnings expectations at the low end of guidance. Market breadth, a measure of... Read more ›

Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) August 2023 Update     Equity market volatility was dampened in July 2023, the result of Wall Street vacations and an investor redirection toward an economic soft landing versus the prior consensus for a recession. As we have been communicating the past year, this period is unlike most in history, as the pandemic and... Read more ›

        Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) July 2023 Update There was a lot going on in the second quarter of 2023 across our capital markets. Early in the quarter, the markets were absorbing continued banking stresses amidst the din from the media and strategists alike regarding their anticipation of a global recession. Such headlines catalyzed a... Read more ›

    Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) June 2023 Update   The tug of war between inflation and recession continued its reflection on the equity markets in May 2023 albeit to a lesser extent. Market returns were led by mega-cap tech stocks, and, interestingly, the most leveraged companies in the small cap arena. Climate change is one example of... Read more ›

  GEOS: Investing in Environmental Solutions The Essex Global Environmental Opportunities Strategy (GEOS) invests in solutions to environmental challenges, looking to the biggest global environmental problems to find attractive investment opportunities. The Nelson A. Rockefeller quote, “Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems,” aptly describes our investment philosophy. Environmental problems such as water scarcity,... Read more ›