Perspectives

Markets experienced a brief ray of risk-on light during the third quarter, but investors quickly retreated back into the risk-off shadows as the Fed reasserted its tough stance on taming inflation. We take the temperature of the market and explore where we might be headed.

We explore the sometimes volatile, push-pull relationship between investors and central banks as each looks to navigate extreme inflation in the U.S., the eurozone and the U.K.

Investors in commercial real estate are confronting the lingering effects of COVID-19 on what being an "office worker" means. We debate the merits of hybrid work and its impact on companies and investors.

Investors have started to see the dollars and cents value of diversity on corporate boards and at all levels of an organization. The new Nasdaq rules seek to advance this cause, but will they work? We explore the question and look to a similar Canadian rule on the books since 2015.

Inflation, rising rates, ongoing supply chain issues and the worst first half of the year for global equities since the 1970s. What options exist for investors positioning portfolios?

The world of climate emissions' measurement and reporting continues to be a moving target, and institutional investors face a number of obstacles. We explore these challenges, the important role of regulation and the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) standard.

As inflation continues to plague the EU and U.S. central bankers announced their latest moves to fight back. MSCI experts joined us to discuss policymakers' options and a range of scenarios investors can consider to help safeguard their portfolios.

The production of everything from food and clothing to medicines and computer chips depends on natural resources in one way or another. At the same time, forests and other natural ecosystems remove carbon from the atmosphere and remain critical to the development of high-quality credits for offsetting emissions. How are investors confronting and accounting for nature-related risks in their portfolios? We look for answers.

The tsunami of data in all its new forms creates opportunities for investors to gain an edge, but it's all too easy to drown in it. How can new technology help investors stay afloat?

As pressure mounts from their own constituents to decarbonize, institutional investors are looking for the companies they invest in to shift from net-zero pronouncements to concrete net-zero action plans.

The first quarter of 2022 started with concerns about inflation and the potential for low growth — conditions many of today's investors haven't seen outside of textbooks. By the end of February, the war in Ukraine had introduced even more volatility. Our latest quarterly check-in digs deep into these issues and more.

The Fed made good on its word, raising rates and setting the stage for more. How has this affected investors in the U.S. and around the world? Have other central banks followed suit?

Fears of stagflation looms large as investors look to the Fed and other central banks and consider the potential effects of the war in Ukraine.

Despite agreement on the value of gender diversity for companies, progress on that front has not been as rapid as it should be. We review the real-world impact of MSCI's latest Women on Boards report findings, and what it may take to accelerate the pace.

Why have even sustainability-minded organizations avoided sustainable investment options in their retirement plans? Will regulation, such as proposed rules from the U.S. Department of Labor, move the needle?

In the race to net-zero, a company's suppliers can be a drag or the wind at their back. What types of influence can corporations, and investors, bring to bear?

Assessing inflation higher than many have seen in their working lives requires looking beyond this single piece of the puzzle.

With COP26 in the history books, we look ahead to assess the implications for corporate action in 2022, through 2030 and beyond.

What was accomplished in Glasgow, and what does it mean for governments, companies and investors? MSCI's Head of Climate Risk Research, Oliver Marchand, evaluates what happened and what may come next.

What's it really like to attend the UN's 26th annual climate change conference? How have the committments and pledges played out on the ground? Linda-Eling Lee, MSCI's Head of ESG Research fills us in during her week in Glasgow, and we sit down with MSCI's ESG Research Editorial Director, Meggin Thwing Eastman, for additional insights and context.

As all eyes turn to Glasgow, we ask High Level Climate Champion for COP, Gonzalo Munoz, what we might see.

What does Chris Ailman, Chief Investment Officer for CalSTRS, the second largest public pension fund in the U.S., think about divestment vs. engagement and the investment risks vs. opportunities when it comes to climate change? Listen to a candid conversation with Chris and MSCI's CEO, Henry Fernandez.

In the wake of the volatility seen over the last few days of the third quarter of 2021, we check back in with Hitendra Varsani about what happened, what may have been behind it and what MSCI's multi-factor model showed as of Sept. 30, 2021.

Concerns over corporate leverage in China, and nervousness about inflation and the direction of interest rates were just a few of the reasons behind the shift toward defensive factors in the third quarter. We analyze performance from three continents, with MSCI's Hitendra Varsani, Mark Carver and Shuo Xu.

Private assets are not immune to climate-change considerations. Accounting for climate-change risks and opportunities is becoming increasingly important in private equity and debt portfolios.

Some feel the growth of ETFs that combine factors and ESG it's a natural partnership, an inevitable evolution, while others have questions about the explanatory power of ESG and the effects of integrating it into portfolios. We explore the topic with MSCI's Raina Oberoi and Anthony Kruger of iShares.

Despite progress, the investment industry can still seem like a club where you can't even peek through the window without knowing the secret handshake. That's why role models and mentors are essential, especially for historically underrepresented groups to succeed.

As regulations increase, along with a growing awareness of the potential impact of climate risks, we get real, with practical approaches for insurance companies and other institutional investors to evaluate the effects of climate change on portfolio management in a carbon-conscious world.

Asset managers in the U.S. and Europe are clamoring for better data and standards to help meet rising demand for ESG strategies across asset classes. We dig deep into the results of a recent Index Industry Association (IIA) survey of 300 managers, with the IIA's CEO, Rick Redding, Mark Purdy, managing director of Purdy & Associates and MSCI's head of global solutions research, Raman Aylur Subramanian.

As the second quarter of 2021 drew to a close and the global economy continued to reawaken, the big stories were the resurgence of value, the positive correlation between value and momentum and the potential for inflation. What can history and factor ETF flows tell us about our current conditions? Join our quarterly conversation with MSCI's Hitendra Varsani, along with BlackRock's US Head of Factor ETFs, Robert Hum and Patrick M. Moraniec, Senior Investment Manager of International Equity for the State of Michigan Retirement System.

As the second quarter of 2021 drew to a close and the global economy continued to reawaken, the big stories were the resurgence of value, the positive correlation between value and momentum and the potential for inflation. What can history and factor ETF flows tell us about our current conditions? Join our quarterly conversation with MSCI's Hitendra Varsani, along with BlackRock's US Head of Factor ETFs, Robert Hum and Patrick M. Moraniec, Senior Investment Manager of International Equity for the State of Michigan Retirement System.

We continue our look at diversity, equality and inclusion efforts through the lens of creating a safe space for LGBTQ employees, and how achieving this goal can be difficult, especially for global companies that need to account for different history, cultural norms and laws across different office locations.

Like those in other industries, investors are looking for more customization, to go to market faster and have more control over the products they build. They'll find it by looking to the cloud. We explore why and what the impact may be.

What does the future of work look like? The answer will affect corporate day-to-day operations, culture, recruitment and retention and, certainly, investors.

Shareholder proposals for strong action on climate change and diversity have taken center stage at this year's annual meetings. Hear a report from the front lines and insight into how we arrived at this moment in investment-stewardship history.

As restrictions lift and economies re-emerge from their long slumber, inflation may have reawakened as well. We discuss the implications for investors, including many who have never worked through a time of sustained inflation.

The announcement of a company's net-zero commitment is the result of much analysis and multiple decisions. But the key is that it represents the start of the process, not its conclusion.

The creation of a universe that blends our lives online and off will change the way we live, work and play. It also has real-world implications for investors and the planet.

Despite a decade or so of disappointing performance, value's recent uptick merits examination into what drove its performance historically, and if conditions have changed or if the factor needs to be redefined.

Interest in private assets is on the rise, with new participants and new approaches by existing investors expanding and shifting the role private assets play in multi-asset class portfolios. We shine some light on these historically opaque investments.

We host a frank discussion on the state of diversity, inclusion and equality within the investment industry with CalPERS' Simiso Nzima, Michael Barrington-Hibbert, founder of Barrington Hibbert Associates and co-founder of #10000BlackInterns, MSCI's Head of Index and Chief Responsibility Officer, Diana Tidd and Head of Analytics and Chair of MSCI's Executive Diversity Council, Jorge Mina.

Pension funds, endowments and other asset owners hold tremendous sway over the entire investment ecosystem. Baer Pettit and Roger Urwin break down the issues holding the attention of these large, global investors.

The investment risks around climate change can be quantified and standardized. We get on the road to COP 26, discussing real solutions with Robert Eccles of the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and MSCI's Head of ESG Research, Linda-Eling Lee, at the wheel.

China is known as the world's factory: Good at assembly, great for improving scale. But high-tech breakthroughs? Our guests, including Nina Xiang of the Chinese Money Network, work to sort truth from fiction.

Did factor performance at the end of 2020 suggest investor optimism in 2021? We explore the question based on the historical relationship between factors and the economic cycle?

Peter Zangari, MSCI's head of research and product development, provides his perspective on where investors were back in March, their current concerns and some words of wisdom as we get ready to turn the page on 2020.

Our journey through the world of global investing continues with a look at the increasingly global focus of fixed-income investors and their search for yield. Next stop: China.

If your home equity market is performing well, why would you look elsewhere for potential opportunities? We search for answers with Raina Oberoi, MSCI's Head of Index Solutions Research for the Americas.

The future of mobility is nothing short of a “revolution,” says Lukas Neckermann, who has researched, written and consulted on the subject for more than 20 years. We discuss the new mobility ecosystem encompassing a diverse range of industries including renewable energy, technology, transportation, travel, infrastructure, entertainment and even public health.

2020 brought lockdowns, shuttered businesses, layoffs, a world-wide work-from-home experiment and exposed long-time systemic issues and inequality. We dive into these social issues head first and examine their impact on investors with global ESG editorial director, Meggin Thwing Eastman.

The 40% increase of ESG indexes revealed on last week's episode piqued our curiousity. Why so large a rise? How has it differed across the world? What role have investors and regulators played? We pick up our conversation with Rick Redding, CEO of the Index Industry Association, joined by MSCI's Head of ESG Index EMEA, Veronique Menou.