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Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bond I SHCDX Sustainability

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Sustainability Analysis

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Sustainability Summary

Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bd Fd may not appeal to sustainability-conscious investors.

Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bd Fd has an average Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 3 globes, indicating that the ESG risk of holdings in its portfolio is similar to that of its peers in the Emerging Markets Fixed Income category. Funds with 4 or 5 globes tend to hold securities that are less exposed to ESG risk. ESG risk provides investors with a signal that reflects to what degree their investments are exposed to risks related to material ESG issues, including climate change, biodiversity, product safety, community relations, data privacy and security, bribery and corruption, and corporate governance, that are not sufficiently managed. ESG risk differs from impact, which is about seeking positive environmental and social outcomes.

One potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bd Fd doesn’t have an ESG-focused mandate. Funds with an ESG-focused mandate are more likely to align with the expectations of an investor who cares about sustainability issues. Currently, the fund has 35.8% involvement in fossil fuels. It is considered high in absolute terms, albeit comparing favorably with 39.7% for its average category peer. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive some revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas.

Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bd Fd has a 12-month asset-weighted Carbon Risk Score of 20.2. This is situated at the lower end of the medium carbon risk band, suggesting that its portfolio holdings are not among the worst-positioned to transition to a low-carbon economy, but they are not among the best-positioned either. Investors concerned about the transition risks may prefer to consider funds with negligible or low carbon risk. Such funds invest in companies that tend to operate in sectors less exposed to the transition (such as healthcare and IT) and/or companies in more carbon-intensive sectors (such as industrials and utilities) but that consider climate change in their business strategy and products, and therefore are positively aligned with the transition. The fund has a modest level of exposure (8.15%) to companies with high or severe controversies. Companies with controversies are involved in incidents such as corruption, employee abuses, and that pose some degree of business risks to the company. Severe and high controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. In addition, they controversies can damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.

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