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

The second quarter of 2021 will be remembered for several significant events in the energy transition (more on that topic below). As the United States and other large economies began to emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns, prospects for increasing economic growth supported strong total returns in the S&P 500, which rose 8.55%, and in the traditional energy-focused IXE index, which increased 11.11% on the expectation of higher fuel consumption. Among the Nasdaq-Clean Edge indexes, those with an emphasis on infrastructure also produced meaningful results. Prospective significant investments going into the electrical grid and water systems in the U.S. and elsewhere supported an 8.32% return in QGRD (global smart grid and grid infrastructure)...