Conscientious investors beat market | Wall Street likely wrong | Cramer's week ahead

ESG investing has grown into a $30 trillion market, attracting people who want to invest according to their values.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE SAT, DEC 14, 2019 WEEKEND BRIEF EDITOR'S NOTE  Profits are great, but not at the expense of society, the environment or  governance.   In this edition of Weekend Brief, CNBC's Pippa Stevens explores ESG investing, which considers environmental, social and governance factors in addition to chasing returns.   If you think ESG investors are a bunch of nice guys who finish last, read up. This is a $30 trillion market, and Stevens reports that a large number of these funds are beating the market.   One reason this style of investing is doing so well is because there are always hidden costs to bad corporate behavior. Pollute the environment and you may face regulatory fines. Deceive or mistreat stakeholders - including customers, employees, and shareholders - and you may be doling out millions to settle lawsuits.   The success of ESG investing proves that doing things the right way can also be the most profitable way, especially in the long run.   In today's Weekend Brief, we also take a look at an investing strategy that failed in 2019.   CNBC's Yun Li writes that the popular "Dogs of the Dow" strategy grossly underperformed the S&P 500 this year. This value investing strategy involves buying the 10 stocks with the highest dividend yield in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It often outperforms the broader market, but not this year.   It's otherwise been a great year, though, and there may be more to come, writes CNBC's Patti Domm. On Friday, the U.S. and China announced a partial trade agreement and President Trump delayed new tariffs that were to take effect on Sunday. It's among a handful of worries that have suddenly been taken off the table.   Said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA: "We're getting a running start on the Santa Claus rally."   Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thanks for reading Weekend Brief.  Email your thoughts at EveningBrief@nbcuni.com or message me on Twitter @tellittoal.   Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.   Al Lewis | CNBC Markets Editor @tellittoal MICHAEL SANTOLI'S MARKET COLUMN Wall Street predicts a high-single-digit gain next year, but history shows that is likely wrong   THE WEEK AHEAD Path is clear for a year-end rally with key hurdles like the trade war removed   YOUR WEEKEND BRIEFING  Your complete guide to investing with a conscience, a $30 trillion market just getting started Popular 'Dogs of the Dow' investing strategy fails in 2019 Space investing became real this year as Morgan Stanley hosts packed NYC investor summit Here are the best analyst calls of the week on Wall Street including Dick's and an advertising play Cramer's week ahead: China trade deal let's us focus on some big earnings reports     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2019 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS