Climate tech’s tough year in the public markets

Catalyst · 14 Mar 2024 · 40m

What this episode covers

Shanu Mathew, portfolio manager and research analyst at Lazard, discusses the underperformance of climate tech stocks in public markets, citing high interest rates, election uncertainty, and normalized supply chains as key drivers. He details the specific struggles in the EV and lithium sectors, noting a supply surplus that has crashed commodity prices, and contrasts this with the mixed performance in solar, where residential installers face destocking while utility-scale developers see growth. Mathew observes a 'flight to safety' among investors, who are shifting capital toward profitable, incumbent 'climate-adjacent' companies like Eaton and Trane Technologies rather than pure-play climate tech firms.

Mentioned

Companies
Lazard, Tesla, Rivian, Albemarle, SQM, Arcadium Lithium, NextEra Energy, General Electric, NextTracker, Quanta Services, SolarEdge, Enphase, Eaton, Hubbell, Trane Technologies
Also
S&P Global Clean Energy Index, MAC Global Solar Index, IRA

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