Preamble
SRI-CONNECT aims to provide SRI investors with improved access to the sustainability information that is increasingly defining the context for company and stock price performance; it is intended that SRI research analysts and portfolio managers will combine this broader and deeper sustainability information with specialist financial research to improve their investment decision-making.
However, the user base of SRI-CONNECT is broad (both globally and in respect of their investment expertise and qualification) and it is therefore not possible to ensure that appropriate investor protection is given to all users in all jurisdictions.
SRI-CONNECT, therefore:
- Does not make standalone investment recommendations or give investment advice;
- Does not carry the standalone investment recommendations or investment advice of others.
From this, it follows that:
- Posters should not publish investment recommendations; and
- Viewers should not infer investment recommendations either from information posted by SRI-CONNECT or from information posted by other users.
‘Posters’ may, however, publish summaries of and links to research reports containing investment recommendations – provided that the reports themselves and the investment recommendations are hosted on the publisher’s own website and are safely protected behind their own firewall (with all appropriate commercial and investor protection safeguards).
SRI-CONNECT does not publish investment recommendations
SRI-CONNECT publishes sustainability context for investment decision-making; but it does not publish standalone investment recommendations.
‘Posters’ should not publish investment recommendations
You will NOT use the site to publish investment recommendations, and will take all due care when using the site to ensure that you do not post investment recommendations inadvertently.
‘Posters’ may publish links to reports containing investment recommendations
We recognise that some organisations (notably sell-side brokers) publish research that integrates sustainability factors fully into an investment recommendation. This research is of high-value to users of SRI-CONNECT and we therefore seek to ensure that our users are made aware of its existence.
However, as investment recommendations themselves may not be published on the site, we recommend that publishers of such work should:
- publish on SRI-CONNECT a short summary of the research and append a hyperlink to it; and
- leave the research report itself on their own website safely protected behind their own firewall (with all appropriate commercial and investor protection safeguards)
Posters are reminded that any summary text must also be free of any investment recommendation – although it may, of course, highlight the sustainability issues analysed within the report.
The following imaginary entry in the Market Buzz section of our site illustrates the point. In both cases, a user has typed a short string of text and provided a hyperlink referring to a research report that is stored on a third-party website:
Acceptable:
- “MegaCap issues research report on the impact of carbon trading on Company Inc.”
- Link: www.megacapinc.com/report123.pdf
Unacceptable:
- “MegaCap raises Company Inc to BUY with a price target of £10 on carbon trading opportunities.”
- Link: www.megacapinc.com/report123.pdf
Viewers should not infer investment recommendations
Viewers should:
- Regard as entirely erroneous any explicit investment recommendations made through the site.
- Not infer any investment recommendation from information or analysis made available through the SRI-CONNECT site.
- Place all information received from the site within the context of wider financial and non-financial considerations before drawing any investment conclusions.
Statement of Limitation of Investment Liability
We consider our rules relating to investment recommendations to be clear and will accept no liability for any investment action taken by any party based on information received from the SRI-CONNECT site.
Specifically, we will accept no liability arising as a consequence of:
- investment actions taken by you based on information found on or through our site;
- investment actions taken by others based on information that you post on or link to through the site;
- action taken as a result of the inadvertent publication of investment recommendations;
- action taken as a result of intentional publication of investment recommendations.
By using the site, you acknowledge that any opinions expressed, whether in general or specific to individuals or organisations profiled on our site, represent the views of the contributor at the time of publication.
You specifically acknowledge that should you express opinions on the SRI-CONNECT website through Discussion Groups, Market Buzz or otherwise, you do so strictly in an individual capacity, and SRI-CONNECT, its related institutions and employees jointly and severally disclaim any liability resulting from your reliance on or communication of such opinions.
Content is not to be interpreted for trading purposes, nor should it be interpreted for the purposes of making a decision to carry out a transaction or trade. on the site. In particular, opinions expressed through Discussion Groups, Market Buzz or elsewhere on the SRI-CONNECT website by organisations , whether directly (for example, in the form of investment recommendations) or through reference to documents made available through third party websites, should be interpreted with respect to the terms and conditions issued by the relevant organisation in the applicable circumstances.
Furthermore, users of the SRI-CONNECT website are advised that any Content contributed directly by users is in no way sanctioned by us as investment advice; for the avoidance of doubt, the provision of Services to users by SRI-CONNECT is not considered in any way to constitute the recommendation of particular financial instruments, investments or products for the purposes of buying, selling or otherwise effecting exposure to securities.
Moreover, we make no inference on the manner in which the investment policies (ethical or otherwise) of the different financial service providers profiled on our website are actually applied and provide no endorsement of any particular investment strategy, product, or fund manager.
By continuing to access the Content provided on the SRI-CONNECT website by SRI-CONNECT or by registered users, you agree to take full responsibility for evaluating and bearing risks associated with the use of such Content, including any reliance on its accuracy, completeness, or usefulness when making your own investments. You should note especially that information may be referred to on our site from time to time which may not be suitable for you as an investor.
General, but important
In general terms, SRI-CONNECT recommends that any prospective investor ensures that they have received full information from the associated investment provider and has taken full advice from a qualified third party.
Equally, as general counsel, we recommend that any prospective investor wishing to apply ethical or sustainability criteria to their choice of investment should ensure that full consideration is given to the financial aspects of the relevant investment.
