George A. Leet Business Law Symposium
Date of Event
11-6-2020
Description
Join us for the George A. Leet Business Law Symposium, "Equity Holdings in the Three Index Funds: Anti-Competitive Effects, Fiduciary Duties and Environmental, Social and Governance Issues," sponsored by the CWRU School of Law’s Center for Business Law.
The symposium will focus on equity holdings in large index funds and the rise of the "big three" — Blackrock, Vanguard and State Street — which control 25 percent of the vote in the S&P 500 now. This is projected to grow to 34 percent in 10 years and 40 percent in 20 years. The concentration of equity holdings in large index funds is a trending topic in corporate and finance academia—one that appears to be getting on the radar of regulators and legal practitioners.
The rise of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing and fiduciary responsibility is also a significant development, with asset managers have an increasing inclination to value whether a public company is "doing good," in addition to “doing well." The traditional paradigm of separating ownership from control may be in for profound changes.
Panelists will address several topics, including fiduciary obligations of index fund managers; implications for corporate governance and stockholder activism; potential anti-competitive effects; and the rise of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing.
The symposium’s keynote address, “For Whom is the Corporation Managed in 2020? The Debate Over Corporate Purpose,” will be provided by Professor Ed Rock.
Lecture Series
George A. Leet Business Law Symposium
Subject Headings
equity holdings in index funds, index funds, anti-competitiveness and equities, Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street index funds, ESG, Environmental, Social, Governance, fiduciary responsibility, ESG and fiduciary respondibility
Location
CWRU Law Virtual Event
Document Type
Video
Recommended Citation
Case Western Reserve University School of Law, "George A. Leet Business Law Symposium" (2020). Conferences and Symposia. 116.
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/law_videos_general/116