Description

This Invesco Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), which distributes income to investors on a quarterly basis, endeavors to mirror the overall return of the Bloomberg MSCI Euro Liquid Corporate Climate Transition ESG Bond Index (CTB), known as the 'Reference Index,' after accounting for its operational fees. The Reference Index is constructed to reflect the performance of euro-denominated, fixed-rate, investment-grade corporate bonds. It integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and incorporates a clear decarbonisation trajectory, adhering to the standards of a Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB). For inclusion, each bond must have a minimum outstanding par value of EUR 500 million. The index provider employs rigorous exclusion criteria to filter securities. Bonds are deselected if they: 1. Possess an MSCI ESG rating lower than BB. 2. Are issued by entities that have been embroiled in highly significant ESG controversies (including UN Global Compact breaches) or severe environmental disputes within the past three years. 3. Come from issuers not comprehensively scrutinized by MSCI ESG Research. 4. Are linked to a specific list of controversial business activities, as defined by the Bloomberg MSCI SRI methodology. These include, but are not limited to, involvement in alcohol, adult entertainment, various types of weapons (controversial and conventional), gambling, fossil fuels, GMOs, firearms, nuclear power, oil sands, thermal coal (hard coal and lignite), tobacco, and unconventional oil and gas. 5. Originate from emerging market issuers. Following these exclusions, the Reference Index implements an optimization strategy to rebalance the weights of the remaining eligible securities. This process aims to minimize deviations in individual constituent, sector, and industry weightings compared to the broader Bloomberg Euro Corporate Index (referred to as the 'Parent Index'). Simultaneously, this optimization ensures adherence to the minimum requirements for EU Climate Transition Benchmarks and delivers an improved MSCI ESG Score relative to the Parent Index. These rebalancing efforts are also subject to specific diversification rules, which are detailed in the Reference Index methodology. Managed passively, the fund's portfolio managers utilize sophisticated modelling tools and techniques to construct a portfolio. Instead of acquiring every security in the index (full replication), they employ a 'sampling' method, purchasing a representative subset of the index's constituents that reflects its overall characteristics. This approach seeks to track the index performance as accurately as possible while significantly lowering the operational costs typically associated with full replication. Consequently, an investment in this fund represents the purchase of units in a passively managed, index-following fund, not direct ownership of the underlying bonds themselves.