March 18, 2020
These past few weeks have been extremely challenging as the world struggles to contain a relentless enemy. The COVID-19 pandemic weighs heavily on all our hearts and minds. We hope you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who have been directly affected by the coronavirus. At Domini, we are monitoring unfolding events closely and doing everything we can to help protect the wellbeing of our shareholders, our employees, and our communities.
As an investment manager, we grapple with two intricately linked events, the health crisis and its financial impact. We are encouraged to see public health officials, governments, businesses and individuals around the world taking action to contain the spread of the virus to protect public health. We have hope that these measures will help save lives. For now, much remains unclear about how long the pandemic will last and how extensive its economic impacts will be. However, we know that in time, the health crisis will abate, perhaps aided by a rapid diagnostic test, a vaccine, or an effective antiviral medicine. When that happens, the global economy is expected to recover.
History teaches us that in times of market volatility, usually the best course of action for most investors is to ride it out. Those who try to cut their losses often sell at the bottom and when they try to time their re-entry back into the market they can miss a good deal of the recovery. It is important to remember that markets always go up and down, but even when those ups and downs have been at their most extreme, periods of downturn have always been followed by periods of recovery.
At Domini, we have always been long-term investors. Investing for Good® is about investing for your personal financial future as well as the future of our planet and our global community. Impact investors believe in the power of investment to create positive change in the world, but we also understand that change takes time. We do not invest simply for short-term profit but to help create a world of universal human dignity and ecological sustainability—one in which everyone can sustainably profit from global health and prosperity.
Today more than ever, as our social and economic institutions face a daunting global health and humanitarian crisis, the world needs sustainable investment. You can be a part of the solution with sustainable investments. Through the Domini Impact Bond Fund, we help provide funds to nonprofit hospitals and research centers serving critical community health needs and to local municipalities as they continue to provide essential public goods. Through the Domini Impact Equity Fund and the Domini Impact International Equity Fund, we seek to invest in companies around the world that provide essential products and services that we will need to get through this crisis, from providers of diagnostics, healthcare equipment, and telehealth services for remote care. We look for innovative biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies working to develop vaccines, and responsible financial institutions that try to ensure that small businesses have access to the capital they need to get through this economic downturn.
It is in times like this that the full potential of human spirit and ingenuity is put on display. People come together to support each other and have a positive impact where they can, whether in their local communities or on a global scale. By Investing for Good®, we can make a difference and get through this together.
Sincerely yours,
Carole Laible, CEO and Amy Domini, Founder and Chair