Green investments: A luxury good or a financial necessity?

Abstract

This study examines the diversification and hedging benefits of green investments for conventional stock portfolios in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. While the findings confirm the status of gold as a strong hedge against stock market downturns, we find that clean energy investments, green bonds, in particular, have the potential to serve as a safe haven as well. In fact, compared to the other alternative and sustainable investments in our sample, green bonds are found to be the only asset that serves as a safe haven against large stock market fluctuations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Portfolio analysis further shows that supplementing conventional stock portfolios with green bonds during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the highest risk-adjusted returns, compared to those supplemented with other alternative assets in the sample. Our findings support the emergence of green investments not as a luxury good, but a necessity for improved financial stability and performance, particularly during the turbulent market states driven by the recent pandemic.