This was our first introduction to the strategy. Unicorn are well known as small-cap specialists, and this fund leverages that expertise with ESG considerations. They feel there are very few direct competitors in this space. Researching the small and mid-cap space is much harder and then adding the layer of income and ESG adds to the complexity. They employed an ethical officer over six years ago with the specific role to develop a screening process for the business, and in particular, this strategy.
There are certain businesses which they would avoid because they screen poorly. These include oil, gas, and mining. The fund is focused mainly in the small and mid-cap space and this has underperformed the wider market since 2014. There are several factors but fundamentally UK equities are unloved. But, they feel there are several positive factors, including recent trade deals with the likes of Japan, one the best parts of the market to be in terms of growth and income and the area that will most likely benefit from the economic recovery….read more