Quarterly overview of stock index performance and the top trends impacting the state of clean tech.

Over the past year markets have exhibited remarkable resiliency, with 12-month returns up considerably from the lows of March 2020 (when the global pandemic first hit). Over the 12-month period tracked, Nasdaq Clean Edge thematic indexes benchmarking clean-energy sectors showed particular resilience, outperforming the S&P 500 and the IXE (Energy Select) indexes. The energy transition solidified during this period, with the International Renewable Energy Agency finding that in the midst of the economic turmoil caused by the global pandemic, the world added a record 260 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity in 2020 (up nearly 50% from 2019), representing more than 80% of all new electricity capacity added globally last year.