Finance
Hedge Funds Are Split Over Short Sellers’ Impact on Emissions Debate
- Quant hedge fund CFM says it has ‘negative’ carbon emissions
- AQR’s Asness says shorting only indirectly affects CO2
Emissions from a coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hedge funds can’t agree on how short selling should affect the way they report their financed emissions.
Some managers argue that short selling -- whereby an investor makes money if an asset such as an oil producer falls in value -- should be booked as negative CO2 emissions. Others say an oil company doesn’t suddenly emit less CO2 just because it’s being targeted by short sellers. As for the regulators, they aren’t providing much help to resolve the debate.