Perspectives

Our quarterly roundtable examines markets and market-moving events to help institutional investors as they determine the best way forward; across asset classes and parsing out differences between developed and emerging markets.

The launch of the MSCI Sustainability Institute, founded and led by Linda-Eling Lee was attended by some of the most highly respected members of the ESG-investment community. We explore the institute’s aims and how it will work with investors, companies, academics and policymakers to drive action by capital markets.

We sat with MSCI’s global head of research for a wide-ranging discussion, including why he chose to return to the company now, the challenges and opportunities facing the investment industry and a unique take on risk management, ESG and climate and AI and technology.

Physical risk from climate change has started to affect nearly every region of the world, from the four hottest days on record occurring in a row this month to more frequent, more intense storms. We discuss what this all may mean for companies, insurers and investors.

Investors are faced with the potential of “sticky” inflation, continued equity-market concentration and expectations that U.S. interest rates may be higher for longer. We sit down with a panel of MSCI experts to get their views on the questions being asked and answered by markets and investors, and the potential implications heading into the second half of 2023.  

In many ways, the EU has led the way on climate regulation in an effort to increase transparency and decision making through disclosure from companies, as well as investors. We discuss what’s expected from the EU sustainable finance package, and its potential impact.

As discussions continue in Washington, D.C., we examine how markets have handled the uncertainty so far, how such showdowns played out in the past and three “what if” default scenarios.

2023 has presented many risks and potential opportunities for investors, including inflation, continued war in Ukraine and China’s lifting of the zero-COVID policy, which allowed people and goods to travel as freely as they did before the pandemic gripped the globe. We look into how it’s gone so far.

The news on progress toward climate change and biodiversity goals was not great as Earth Day 2023 approached. But there were some bright spots, including detailed proposals to move forward, increased attention from governments in the form of regulation and a growing awareness from investors that accounting for these issues may be the right thing to do for their portfolios.

The first quarter of 2023 came with its own set of surprises for investors, whether looked at through the lens of market returns, factor returns and trying to figure out Central Banks... not to mention the fallout from some notable bank failures. We examine it all with MSCI’s Hitendra Varsani and Mark Carver.

Banks failing, another sold and governments stepping in to backstop the fallout. Add to that a global economy coping with high inflation and still shaking off the COVID-19 cobwebs and, on top of that, regularly scheduled meetings for two major central banks. Our panel of MSCI experts helps put these events into context for investors managing multi-asset-class portfolios.

We dig into the findings from the latest Women on Boards report, and why they matter for companies and investors, with report co-author Olga Emelianova, MSCI's Chief Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer, Tia Counts and Shweta Narasimhadevara of State Street Global Advisors.

While the direct market impact of Russia’s invasion has lessened over time, there have been longer lasting effects that have exacerbated investor concerns around inflation, rising rates and central bank actions around the globe. We examine the issue through a multi-asset-class lens.

Real estate investors entered 2023 facing a very different investment landscape to the one they encountered at the beginning of 2022. We look at the top five trends for real estate investments in 2023.

Despite some positive movement in the fourth quarter, 2022 wasn't pretty for many investors. What may be the global trends to watch this year?

Faced with the undeniable reality of droughts and dry spells from China to the Southwestern U.S. this year, companies and their investors have begun to take the vital issue of water scarcity more seriously.

When Prime Minster Rishi Sunak took over as the country's third prime minister in just two months, he inherited what he referred to as a "profound economic crisis."" We discuss the impact of fiscal and monetary policy on Great Britain and around the world, as markets contend with runaway inflation, high energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.

With rising rates and a looming global slowdown in the context of war, climate change and an evolving regulatory environment, MSCI assembled a leading group of experts to provide insight into how investors may look to position themselves to manage risk and capture opportunity in an uncertain world.

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.