30 September 2025
Australian Ethical is one of Australia's leading ethical fund managers. By investing responsibly in well-managed ethical companies, we deliver competitive financial performance to our clients and positive change to society and the environment. Since our inception in 1986, our Ethical Charter has guided all investment decisions and underpinned our business practices. Every year 10 per cent of our profits* are distributed to charitable organisations and social impact initiatives through The Australian Ethical Foundation.
To provide long-term growth through investment in listed companies on Australian and international stock exchanges that meet our Ethical Criteria. The Fund aims to track the blended index, before taking into account fees and expenses over a 7 year period.
The opportunity to invest in a diversified share portfolio of Australian and international companies on the basis of their social, environmental and financial credentials. Generally, all Australian investments will have a market capitalisation greater than the 200th ranked stock listed on the ASX. The Fund has a low level of turnover and aims to be fully invested at all times.
| 1m | 3m | 6m | 1y | 3y | 5y | 10y | Since inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | -1.1% | 2.8% | 13.3% | 13.1% | 15.2% | 11.9% | 9.4% | 8.5% |
| Benchmark | 0.0% | 5.3% | 14.4% | 13.9% | 17.2% | 14.0% | 10.6% | 8.7% |
| CY 2024 | CY 2023 | CY 2022 | CY 2021 | CY 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | 16.9% | 14.6% | -14.4% | 21.8% | 7.1% |
| Benchmark | 16.3% | 15.1% | -3.9% | 20.3% | 2.7% |
Portfolio diversification: Diversify your portfolio by investing in companies and sectors not well covered by other fund managers and brokers.
Help build a better world: Invest in the new, low‐carbon economy, fund medical and technology breakthroughs, efficient transport and more.
Promote human rights: We strive to avoid any investment in companies involved in the poor treatment of asylum seekers or the exploitation of workers through poor working conditions.
The Diversified Shares Fund (Retail) (the “Fund”) returned 2.8% net of fees for the September quarter.
The standout theme was the Federal Reserve’s first rate cut of 2025, reducing the policy rate to 4.00–4.25%. This dovish pivot helped sustain investor optimism, even as US consumer confidence softened and inflation remained above target. In contrast, the Reserve Bank of Australia held rates steady at 3.60%, citing hotter-than-expected CPI data and a cautious outlook for domestic growth.
From a sector perspective, global technology stocks continued to lead, with the Nasdaq 100 posting its best September since 2010. The “Magnificent 7” contributed nearly two-thirds of the S&P 500’s gains, underscoring the market’s concentration risk. AI-related themes remained dominant, with chipmakers and cloud infrastructure providers benefiting from strong demand and investor enthusiasm.
Australian equities saw a divergence in performance. While the broader ASX 200 fell 0.8% in September, the Small Ordinaries Index rallied 3.4%, driven by a 25% surge in gold prices and renewed interest in resource stocks. Materials outperformed, while Energy and listed property lagged. The rally in gold was particularly notable, reflecting investor demand for inflation hedges and safe-haven assets amid global uncertainty. Reporting season in August saw many companies push to new highs. However, earnings guidance upgrades were limited, and valuations expanded further.
In the domestic component of the portfolio, performance was impacted by the strength in the Materials sector, particularly within the gold subsector. Ethical screening led to a natural underweight in gold miners, which detracted from performance. Our stock selection in REITs and Information Technology assisted performance. Within Information Technology, our holding in SiteMinder increased more than 60% driven by strong product traction, improving financial metrics and positive sentiment.
In the International component of the portfolio, stock selection in Information Technology and Financials negatively impacted relative performance, while our underweight exposure to Consumer Staples and our overweight exposure to Communication Services assisted performance. The performance of the “Magnificent 7” was mixed with Alphabet, Apple, NVIDIA and Tesla (not held) outperforming the benchmark, while Meta, Microsoft and Amazon (not held) posted below-benchmark returns. Alphabet’s share price rose 14% in September alone, and over 35% for the quarter overall, marking its best quarterly performance since 2005. The company’s share price surged due to strong earnings growth, momentum in AI products like Gemini, a favorable antitrust ruling, and increased investor returns through dividends and buybacks.