With interest and investment in environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related bonds rising, Bloomberg and MSCI have expanded their ESG fixed income index suite and launched new high-yield, ESG-specific indices.

“With ESG becoming increasingly integrated into investors’ workflows, we are always working to expand our ESG offerings to meet this demand,” says Chris Hackel, index product manager, Bloomberg, a financial information and news provider.

The expanded Bloomberg Barclays MSCI ESG fixed income suite will now include nine high-yield indices that incorporate ESG considerations with three variances - US, Pan-Euro and Global.

The pair’s new high-yield socially responsible investment indices are designed to exclude issuers with substantial revenue derived from sources like adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, controversial military weapons, civilian firearms, nuclear power, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Their high-yield sustainability and ESG-weighted indices are designed to include issuers with higher MSCI ESG ratings and allow the ratings to adjust issuer marker weights.

“We are providing investors with the tools and transparency they need to effectively integrate ESG considerations into their investment processes,” points out Eric Moen, Head of ESG Products for MSCI ESG Research, an investment tools and services firm.