White papers

30 November, 2020

The impact of COVID-19 has accelerated industry trends that we highlighted in previous editions of this paper. In the financial markets, investor have clearly adopted a stakeholder model and the market has embraced the technological necessities created by the pandemic. Pragmatism has been the revolutionary factor in shareholder engagement and how general meetings are held. Like the rest of the world, they have gone virtual.

18 November, 2020

This comprehensive report includes an overview of the most prominent developments in the ESG space as well as insights gained from over 35 interviews with key market actors. The interviewees include AstraZeneca, BMW, Nestlé, Fidelity Investments, Invesco, T. Rowe Price, AXA Investment Managers, MSCI, Sustainalytics, Bloomberg, UBS, KPMG, Simmons & Simmons, and many others.

29 October, 2020

This research is the latest in Black Sun’s Horizon Series, and captures how companies are communicating their unique value creation stories through their corporate websites. Our analysis further outlines trends, better practice and possible evolutions in digital engagement that will help companies differentiate themselves in a complex, fragmented market.

4 August, 2020

Design Portfolio’s latest investment case research comes in the wake of a suffering global economy, a surge in ESG investing, imminent recession and the “new normal”. The paper sheds some light on the evolution of investment case reporting and how this differs across indices. A new phase of more sophisticated investment case reporting can be observed across as corporates mature from a focus on creation to communication.

30 July, 2020

The pragmatic utility of ESG-related data and the variety of associated frameworks are quickly evolving in fascinating ways. Our research indicates the particular environment resulting from 2020 is an ideal breeding ground for the emergence of factor-based investing and Smart Beta strategies.

19 May, 2020

Are IR teams ready for the new disclosure which will be made available under the Shareholder Rights Directive II? Do they have solutions in place to digest, analyse and act on the enhanced visibility?

28 April, 2020

How are small and mid-cap companies reporting on Section 172? Design Portfolio’s latest whitepaper looks at emerging trends from the first annual reports published under the new regulation and provides some golden rules to boost your stakeholder disclosure.

28 April, 2020

We understand that during this time of uncertainty you may need sound advice on what to communicate and how to do so. You can download our brand new guide, designed with the intention of helping you to work your way through this crisis.

14 April, 2020

As we adjust to the ‘new normal’, the investment community is assessing the long-term impact on companies and their ability to operate within a changed world. The onus will fall on issuers across the board to redefine their strategic and operational approach. In this paper, we explore how issuers can be effective in communicating by adopting a modular approach through and beyond the pandemic crisis.

9 April, 2020

Revisions to deep forecasts of critical line items that drive company performance are highly sought after by investor relations professionals, but the analyst estimates of these KPIs can be hard to obtain. Visible Alpha conducted a study to learn when and how often analysts revise estimates throughout a fiscal quarter and discovered that without real-time access to analyst and consensus estimate revisions, IROs are missing critical information.

26 March, 2020

Over the past 3 weeks, along with our IRO research, we have interviewed the investment community in regard to the unprecedented impact COVID-19 and what investors need companies to address in their communications.

19 March, 2020

E (environmental) and S (social) awareness/reporting have become just as important as the day-to-day G (governance) within the companies we work for and support. How are you tackling it? Do you know what other companies are doing? Is it becoming a theme you cannot ignore but do not quite know how to address? How do you ensure your board are taking it seriously?

13 March, 2020

The ever-changing corporate landscape is making the AGM season a more uncertain time.

3 March, 2020

Want to know how to tell a compelling story under the new UK Corporate Governance Code? We’ve updated our guide with case studies and examples to consider for engaging reporting.

17 February, 2020

This publication highlights the key facts, figures, global trends and major milestones in the Depositary Receipts industry for issuers, brokers and investors.

24 January, 2020

An unlikely battle has been brewing for the future of the annual report. For some, reporting should focus on communicating information transparently to investors and analysts. For others, it offers an opportunity to tell a company’s story. So what exactly does the future hold for reporting? We wanted definitive answers, so we spoke to 1,000 ‘informed citizens’ and business leaders to find out how and why they use reporting.

17 December, 2019

UK’s recently launched Green Finance Strategy expects all listed companies and large asset owners to be disclosing in line with the TCFD recommendations by 2022. In addition to regulatory pressures, what remains the same is the high level of expectation from investors and other stakeholders around reporting of climate-related issues. Black Sun examines the current status of FTSE 100 reporting against the TCFD framework in this report.

13 December, 2019

Despite the current political and economic uncertainties, companies are beginning to lead the way in climate change reporting. With increasing demands from investors, consumers and other stakeholders, clear communication of the risks and opportunities climate change presents become increasingly important. Our latest whitepaper provides guidance to companies on how to digest these urgent climate challenges and report transparently on their impact.

6 December, 2019

Welcome to AGM Trends 2019, the annual review of trends and developments during the 2019 annual general meeting (AGM) season compiled by Equiniti’s Registration Services and Company Secretarial teams.

6 December, 2019

The reporting landscape has changed rapidly over the last decade and the role of the annual report is in the spotlight again. As the trend towards ‘no frills’ reporting gathers momentum, it is time to take a step back and ask what exactly do investors want from reporting. It is why we commissioned this independent study, and why we believe the results will be of great interest to corporate communicators.