Can Equity Market Risk be Diversified with the Help of ESG Investment and Commodities?

The present study examines the time–frequency relationship between conventional equity, environmental, social and governance (ESG) Index and commodities in the Indian context. The present study uses wavelet-based decomposition methodology, and wavelet coherence to examine the co-movement and coherence among these markets. In addition, wavelet analysis explored in-phase and out-phase time–frequency relationships among the variables. The findings of the study highlight the coherence between these markets in different time horizons. Our results show that the impact of the COVID pandemic persisted across the time scales in the case of ESG index, Nifty and Oil. There is strong co-movement between ESG index and Nifty, hence ESG index cannot be considered as a hedge during crisis periods. Whereas gold exhibits hedging attributes against the volatility of conventional equity. The empirical findings have several implications for understanding the hedging attributes of ESG indices and commodities against conventional equities.