Investing | Statistics/Performance
Methodology| Market Analysis | Licensing
Launched in 2008, the Dow Jones Dharma Indexes are the world’s first indexes tracking the financial performance of companies around that world that comply with dharmic (or Hindu and Buddhist) principles. The Indexes were created after collaboration between Dharma Investments and Dow Jones Indexes. The Indexes uniquely provide asset managers reliable and objective benchmarks to manage portfolios compliant with dharmic principles.
The Indexes were made possible after extensive research and collaboration across a diverse group of spiritual leaders, academics and community figureheads. This is evidenced by the wide-ranging endorsement that the DJDI has received from our Academic Committee, Religious Leaders and Supervisory Board.
The DJDI are guided by an Ethical Principles documents, signed-off by 23 leading Hindu/Buddhist academics, blessed by the most eminent spiritual leaders, and monitored semi-annually by the Supervisory Board.
The Index components are selected by a systematic and bespoke ‘dharma’ screening approach, incorporating also many traditional ethical, corporate sustainability and governance assessments. The Index therefore provides a unique combination of traditional sin sector screening with more recent ESG criteria and with further particular screens such as those linked with animal testing.
For faith-based investors, the Supervisory Board, Academic Committee and Religious Council provide assurances of the integrity of the index to be compliant with their faith teachings.
For professional asset managers, the involvement of Dow Jones, third-party data ESG providers (Riskmetrics) and a credible Supervisory Board ensures that the indexes are independent and reliable.
We anticipate distributing licenses for the Indexes to asset managers around the world managing a variety of financial products such as mutual funds.
Apart from the obvious appeal to Hindu/Buddhist investors, the Indexes will also appeal to non faith-based ethical investors. This is due to the comprehensive exclusion of traditional sin sectors, in combination with environmental, corporate governance and animal testing screens.
Click here to download the 'Dow Jones Dharma Indexes' Brochure >>
