Global Spillovers Between Sustainable and Traditional ETFs: Crisis Dynamics and Policy Implications

Abstract

This paper examines the interconnections between segments of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), bridging the traditional financial perspective with the sustainability-driven approach based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in Agenda 2030. The analysis is endogenous, focusing on the shocks that emerge within the system composed of these segments. Utilizing daily data from six sustainable segments, each corresponding to different SDGs, alongside one traditional segment, spanning a sample period of approximately 14 years, the study reveals notable spillover effects. Specifically, the periods associated with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine were marked by a significant surge in information transmission across the segments. Furthermore, the findings indicate that sustainable segments exhibit a strong interdependence with their traditional counterparts, a dynamic that facilitates contagion risk and limits the effectiveness of portfolio diversification strategies.