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Spotlight on the Markets: Are Supply Chains the New Grinch 

Global Investing

The holiday season may only exacerbate supply-chain challenges affecting the availability and prices of goods. In this inaugural edition of Spotlight on the Markets, we analyze performance and how investors are working to rise to the occasion.

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After Evergrande: Bond Liquidity of Chinese Property Developers 

Fixed Income , Risk Management , Global Investing

Evergrande, one of China’s largest and most indebted property developers, had a recent close brush with bankruptcy that generated considerable concern among global bond investors. In this time of distress, how has market liquidity responded?

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Focusing a Sustainability Lens on China’s Regulatory Changes 

Global Investing

Market fundamentals may not be significantly affected by new regulations in China. But, given the regulations’ focus on ESG-related issues, investors can use ESG data as they seek to identify risks and opportunities across industries and securities.

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How to Achieve Net Zero? Leaders Weigh In 

Global Investing

How can investors help accelerate the net-zero transition? This was the central question at MSCI’s 2021 Global Investing Conference. We present the core takeaways from the two-day event, which featured senior corporate and investment thought leaders.

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The Impact of China’s New Regulations: A Thematic Lens 

Global Investing

Regulatory changes in China have investors wondering how different industries could be affected. Evaluating the changes through a thematic lens can provide insight into the growth and crowding levels of megatrends, as industries react and evolve.

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How a Shift Toward Buybacks Affected Yield Strategies 

Global Investing , Factor Investing

For investors who use yield strategies to generate income, a steady stream of dividend payments is important. But with more companies using buybacks as a way to redistribute profits, investors may want to consider a more holistic view of income.

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A Sector-Balanced Approach to China A Mega-Cap Exposure 

Global Investing

For investors seeking exposure to the mega-cap segment of the China A market, a simple top-50 market-cap-weighted approach can lead to large sectoral biases. We explore how a balanced mega-cap approach may help.

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Fresh IPO Stocks and Indexes: In or Out? 

Global Investing

Depending on a number of factors, stocks may be added to indexes soon after a company’s IPO, which can affect asset managers who use the indexes to create and benchmark portfolios. We investigate the impact of IPO stocks on index performance.

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COVID-19’s Uneven Impact on Office Vacancy 

Real Estate Investing , Global Investing

What was the precise impact of the COVID-19 crisis on office properties? While the overall vacancy rate at the end of 2020 was lower than the previous cycle’s peak, the percentage of fully leased office buildings reached an all-time low.

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Hedging Inflation with Equities 

Global Investing , Factor Investing

Equities have traditionally been viewed as a hedge against inflation, based on the assumption that companies’ revenues adjust for inflation over time. But what has been the short-term impact on equity portfolios?

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Momentum on a Value Hunt 

Global Investing , Factor Investing

Momentum, by definition, rotates into securities with recent outperformance. That said, investors who view value and momentum as contra-signals may have questions about the value-momentum convergence and the divergence of momentum and growth.

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Real Estate’s Climate-Transition Risk: The Path to Net-Zero 

Real Estate Investing , Risk Management , Global Investing

The 2015 Paris Agreement seeks to keep the rise in global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and many governments are aiming for 1.5°C through nationally determined contributions. What are the implications for real estate markets?

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The Pressure of the Crowd: Stress Testing Thematic Indexes 

Equity Themes , Risk Management , Global Investing

Some investors may be concerned about crowding within the fast-growing thematic-investing segment. Using MSCI’s stock-crowding model, we identify crowded themes and run stress tests to understand how they might respond to an equity sell-off.

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Bringing Value to the 21st Century 

Factors , Global Investing

In the second post in our series, we further probe value’s underperformance over the past decade and ask if the historic definition of value remains relevant. We specifically look at whether a company’s valuation can be enhanced by reflecting R&D investments. 

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Modern Slavery: The Unseen Risks 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Modern slavery occurs all over the world and can impact virtually all industries. Meanwhile, regulations requiring more detailed reporting on potential supply-chain exposure is increasing. How can investors identify portfolio holdings most at risk?

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Some ESG Funds Are Not Like the Others 

ESG Research , Global Investing

ESG funds’ holdings can vary significantly, depending on their objectives, methodologies and geographic exposures. We examined the 20 largest equity funds in our coverage universe.

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Innovation Remix: Adding Thematics to Equity Programs 

Equity Themes , Factor Indexes , Global Investing

How can investors incorporate transformative, but volatile thematic investments while seeking to control for valuation and total and active risk? We examine three approaches that improved a portfolio’s “innovation profile” with modest changes to risk.

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Including Microcaps in Benchmark Indexes: Japan vs. US 

Equity Themes , Global Investing , Factor Investing

Selecting an equity benchmark may mean balancing market coverage and investability. For example, exhaustive coverage may include microcap stocks, with lower liquidity and investment capacity. But excluding them may reduce low-size-premium exposure.

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Reopening Economies and the Resurgence in Value 

Factor Indexes , Global Investing , Factor Investing

After 15 years of challenging performance, many have asked if value is still a valid investment strategy. But the reopening of the global economy following vaccination rollouts has reignited interest across stocks, sectors, countries and regions.

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Value-Performance Anxiety 

Global Investing , Factor Investing

Despite a recent performance lift, many still ask whether the value factor is broken. We analyze the reasons behind its underperformance and start exploring the potential of updates to value definitions and approaches to value-portfolio construction.

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Considerations for Dedicated China Equity Allocations 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing

China provides global equity investors a unique set of opportunities and challenges as they evaluate a potential dedicated investment program and how to approach asset allocation from policy configuration to portfolio implementation.

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中国专业股票配置的要点 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing

鉴于中国进一步开放金融市场，一些投资者指定了一个专门计划来负责处理与中国相关的一系列投资机会。

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Managing the Risks of LIBOR Replacement 

Fixed Income , Risk Management , Global Investing

Investors now have clarity on the process of transitioning away from LIBOR and falling back on replacement benchmark rates. We used stress tests to show that fallback modeling may be necessary to measure and manage the risks of LIBOR instruments.

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The Pace of Fast Change: Growth vs. Thematic Investing 

Factor Indexes , Factors , Global Investing , Factor Investing

Investors considering thematic investments to gain exposure to firms whose fortunes may not be captured by fundamental growth measures, may ask: What are the key opportunities – and challenges – that distinguish thematic from growth investing?

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Are Growth and Value Indexes Still in Style? 

Factor Investing , Risk Management , Global Investing

Growth and value indexes were created in the 1980s as finer tools than market-cap indexes to measure the performance of growth and value funds. Are style-specific indexes still a relevant choice to use as benchmarks for these funds?

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How Inflation Could Affect Multi-Asset-Class Portfolios 

Real Estate Investing , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Integrated Risk Management

Market participants are hotly debating whether U.S. monetary and fiscal policy may cause inflation. We consider four scenarios — reflation, disinflation, an overheated economy and stagflation — and their potential impact on multi-asset-class portfolios.

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How Have Stocks Responded to Changes in Climate Policy? 

ESG Research , Global Investing

To what extent has climate risk been priced into equity markets? Is there a “brown” discount and a “green” premium? Has this shifted over time? How can we model such risks as the world moves toward net-zero targets? We examine the financial impact of climate transition risk on global equity markets.

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Currency-Risk Hedging in Real Estate Benchmarks 

Real Estate Investing , Risk Management , Global Investing

Global real estate investors can expose themselves to currency risk. Using a hedged index, they may better align their benchmark and investment approach and ensure currency risk is accurately treated in allocation modeling and performance attribution.

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Stress Testing Climate-Change Scenarios 

Global Investing , ESG Research

Regulators around the world are upping the ante on climate-related financial disclosures. How can investors stress test potential exposures to these changes in policy? We take a look within Europe.

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A Thematic Lens for Portfolios 

Global Investing

We show how MSCI Thematic Exposure relevance scores helped position growth funds, as an example, alongside thematic funds, and highlighted key megatrends that drove performance. A thematic lens can help analyze other categories and strategies as well.

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Kuwait’s Move from Frontier to Emerging Market 

Global Investing

Kuwait’s reclassification from frontier to emerging market and inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index provides investors exposure to yet another Gulf Cooperation Council member, one that has worked to open its doors to foreign investors.

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Accounting for Revenue Sources Tells a Richer Story 

Global Investing , Emerging Markets , Economic Exposure

Despite North America’s outsized weighting in the MSCI ACWI Index, companies in the index generated only 30% of their global revenues there. We explore how examining revenue sources may help uncover opportunities of economic growth around the world.

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China Tech Investing: An Indexed Approach 

Global Investing

China’s emergence as a tech leader holds great potential. But its technology value chain isn’t limited to IT firms. Opportunity lies across sectors, from electric vehicles to medical devices. How does one effectively gain exposure?  

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中国科技投资：一种股指编制方法 

Global Investing

经过数十年的快速经济增长，中国开始将发展重点从出口和固定资产投资转移到国内消费和技术创新。

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How Diversified Are US Equity Investors? 

Global Investing

The universe of stocks represented by the MSCI USA Index comprises over 600 securities. U.S. investors might assume there are ample opportunities for diversification and potential risk reduction in the domestic market. Is this assumption correct?

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Chinese Government Bonds: Higher Yield, Less Risk? 

Global Investing , Risk Management

Global investors’ interest in Chinese government bonds has risen, as these bonds offer higher yields than developed-market sovereign debt. For investors thinking about adding Chinese bonds to their portfolios, what could be the impact on portfolio risk?

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China A Shares: What Have We Learned? 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing

In this first of a series of blogs covering specific index-inclusion stories, we explore China A shares’ inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index by looking back at how it occurred and what’s happened since with market and investor reaction.

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Aligning with the Paris Agreement: An Index Approach 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Institutional investors are under pressure to align their strategies with a maximum global temperature increase of 1.5oC as targeted by the Paris Agreement. We examine how they can approach this while respecting other investment constraints.

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Factors in Focus: Impact of Inflation on Style Factors 

Factor Investing , Global Investing , Risk Management

Global equities continued to rally in Q3, brushing aside fear of a second wave of COVID-19 and a large economic slump. We review what it meant from an equity and fixed-income factor perspective and look at what our models showed headed into Q4

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Assessing Company Alignment with UN SDGs 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Five years ago, the United Nations adopted 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an effort to end extreme poverty, reduce inequity and protect the planet by 2030. Using a new tool, we examine whether companies are walking the walk.

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ESG in Mexico: At a Fork in the Road? 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Mexican companies’ ESG risk-mitigation practices have come a long way over the past decade, but there has been some slippage over the past two years. We examine the current status and why investors may want to pay attention.

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Alternative Views of Equity-Market Liquidity During COVID-19 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing , Risk Management

Institutional investors have typically used traded volume as a way to assess market liquidity. Adding alternative measures that gauge market impact and trading costs can provide a more comprehensive view for portfolio managers and traders.

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Hedging Inflation: A Scorecard 

Integrated Risk Management , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

Aggressive actions by central banks and soaring government budget deficits have raised concerns among some investors that inflation may significantly rise. We examine whether an inflation hedge was worth the cost over the past 13 years.

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Understanding the Industry-Momentum Factor 

Factor Investing , Risk Management , Global Investing

When COVID-19 first swept through global equity markets, many factors exhibited unprecedented performance swings. How could institutional investors interpret the industry-momentum factor’s moves in the context of the underlying market dynamics?

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Index Futures and the Expansion of Equity Markets in EM and Asia 

Global Investing , Emerging Markets

Given equity market growth in the emerging markets and Asia, and the dispersion of returns across individual subregions and countries, some have looked beyond traditional long-only approaches, to others, such as futures. We explore those options.

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Managing Climate Risk in Equity Portfolios: A Case Study 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Institutional investors are increasingly focused on mitigating their climate-related risks. How could a “typical” active global equity manager have managed these exposures without disturbing the portfolio’s risk and return characteristics?

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Would Integrating ESG in Chinese Equities Have Worked? 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

ESG ratings have reflected financial risk and returns in developed-market and emerging-market equities. But was this true in China, where ESG considerations are still in their infancy?

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将 ESG 融入到中国股票的成效如何? 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

过去两年，中国企业的 ESG 评级大幅提升。通过回测，剔除一些 ESG 评级低的股票，能够有助于一批聚焦中国的主动型基金在过去五年半时间内降低风险和提高投资回报。

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Did Value-Factor Exposure Deliver for Value Funds? 

Factor Investing , Global Investing

Building on previous MSCI research into the nuanced performance of the value factor, including the impact of sectors and other style factors, we look at how exposure to value drove the performance of actively managed value funds.

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ESG Ratings: How the Weighting Scheme Affected Performance 

Global Investing , ESG Research

Our recent research suggests that environmental and social issues were more industry specific and tended to show up in financial measures over a longer time frame compared to governance issues. How can E, S and G issues be combined?

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Which ESG Issues Mattered Most? Defining Event and Erosion Risks 

Global Investing , ESG Research

Very different ESG issues can be material for different industries. Our research suggests that risks can be divided into two main types: “event” risks and “erosion” risks to companies’ long-term competitiveness. Which ones mattered most for E, S and G?

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Is ESG All About the ‘G’? That Depends on Your Time Horizon. 

Global Investing , ESG Research

The conventional wisdom has it that governance is the most dominant of the three E, S and G pillars. But our analysis finds different results when looking at contribution to performance over different time horizons.

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Equity-Market Dislocation and Index-Based Investing 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Market turbulence amid COVID-19 presented risks and opportunities. We explore how indexes , combined with the use of fundamental data, provided a wealth of information to help identify potential market dislocations.

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Outcome-Oriented Factor Investing with a ‘Barbell’ Approach 

Factor Indexes , Factor Investing , Global Investing

Though relatively new to wealth investors, index-based factor investing has some similarity to a high-conviction, outcome-oriented approach. We explore combining the two when seeking outcomes such as equity growth, yield enhancement and risk mitigation.

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Building Better ESG Indexes: 30 Years On 

Global Investing , ESG Research

How ESG indexes have evolved over the past 30 years: A Q&A with Stuart Doole, head of new index development at MSCI, about his conversations with investors since the COVID19 crisis started, the growth of ESG investing and how MSCI Research uses AI and machine learning in developing its ESG indexes.

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Robust Selection Paid Dividends 

Global Investing

Dividend cuts following the COVID-19 slowdown led to approximately USD 194 billion of lost dividends between February and April 2020. An approach that looked beyond dividend-yield ranking would have avoided some affected companies, based on our analysis.

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Five lessons for investors from the COVID-19 crisis 

ESG Research , Factors , Global Investing

COVID-19 unleashed a torrent of sharp movements across global financial markets. We highlight five key lessons for investors regarding global investing, managing factors, active management, indexed investing and ESG investing.

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Index Rebalancing During High Volatility: A Balancing Act 

Global Investing , Emerging Markets

Significant volatility during COVID-19 highlights a need for index reconstitution, but some may worry about trading costs and excess turnover. We investigate the balance between appropriate market representation and avoiding high index turnover.

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Consumer ABS Under Coronavirus in the US and China 

Emerging Markets , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

Beyond COVID-19’s steep human toll, the pandemic’s disruption of economic life has led to widespread loss of income and impaired some borrowers’ ability to repay loans. What could the impact be for investors in consumer asset-backed securities in the U.S. and China?

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Using Derivatives to Manage Volatile Markets 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing , Risk Management

We’ve previously noted growth in derivatives contracts to manage emerging-markets exposure in normal and stressed times. Now, facing a real-world stress test, how did investors use these tools? How have implied volatilities and option premium changed?

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新冠疫情期间的 MSCI ESG 指数 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

在新冠疫情的恐慌抛售期间以及更长时期内，我们将四个全球 MSCI ESG 指数与其母指数进行了比较。

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MSCI ESG Indexes during the coronavirus crisis 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

The COVID-19 outbreak is the first real-world test since the 2008 global financial crisis of the resilience of companies with high MSCI ESG Ratings. We analyze the performance of four standard MSCI ESG Indexes over Q1 2020 and longer periods.

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Can diversification help weather the coronavirus storm? 

Emerging Markets , Factor Indexes , Factor Investing , Factors , Global Investing

Whether investors include a tactical approach or invest strategically for the long term, diversifying across factors, sectors and geographies has historically played an important role in portfolio construction. 

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Green bonds: Growing bigger and broader 

ESG Research , Fixed Income , Global Investing

As the green-bond market matures, it is developing offshoots. The types of projects financed, as well as the emergence of innovative types of bonds and loans linked to the ESG targets, is growing. These initiatives may broaden the market for green investment options.

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Will coronavirus reduce emissions long term? 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Has COVID-19 affected carbon emissions? Using satellite imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency, we examined the empirical data so far to understand the potential impact, and if there may be a decline in global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2020.

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市场危机中的资产配置与指数期货 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing , Risk Management

机构投资者通常利用期货、期权等衍生品合约对冲市场风险，或在某些特定市场环境中表达投资观点。

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Asset allocation and index futures during market crises 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing , Risk Management

During market crises, institutional investors have employed derivatives contracts to hedge market risks or express views on certain performance/risk characteristics. We explore prior use of futures for exposure management and tactical asset allocation.

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How coronavirus could hurt Chinese consumer ABS 

Risk Management , Global Investing , Fixed Income , Emerging Markets

The slowing Chinese economy and trade uncertainty had already put strains on the performance of Chinese consumer asset-backed securities. The COVID-19 pandemic could further harm the performance of these securities. Investors may wish to gauge the risks.

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Integrating ESG in emerging markets and Asia 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Previously, we have examined the relationship between ESG characteristics and financial performance in developed markets. In this blog post, we explore whether ESG characteristics  have had financially significant effects in emerging markets and Asia.

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将ESG融入新兴市场和亚洲市场 

ESG Research , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

在我们研究的时间区间内，ESG 评级较高的股票在新兴市场和亚洲（日本除外）地区表现较好，整合ESG 提高了这些地区的回报。

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Coronavirus and oil hit equities — how low can we go? 

Risk Management , Global Investing

We compare the market turmoil sparked by the coronavirus pandemic with levels of volatility, drawdown and recovery after 9/11 and the global financial crisis (the two other similarly severe economic and market shocks of the last 20 years).

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The coronavirus market impact spreads globally 

Factor Investing , Global Investing

Fear of a coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic impacts caused sharp drops in global markets after an initially mild response. We look at recent performance from a factor perspective and how quickly factor returns and volatility reverted in past crises.

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A coronavirus stress test for global markets 

Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

After the coronavirus spread to multiple continents, markets recorded the worst week since the crisis. How much further could markets drop if epidemic turns into pandemic? Our stress test indicates room for further losses.

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ESG and the cost of capital 

ESG Research , Global Investing , Emerging Markets

We know a lot about the relationship between companies’ ESG characteristics and financial performance. But was there a correlation between ESG scores and cost of capital?

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The coronavirus epidemic: Implications for markets 

Economic Exposure , Emerging Markets , Factor Investing , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

The toll from the coronavirus has been felt throughout societies, leading to repercussions on the global economy and financial markets. We examine investor impact through markets’ economic exposures to China and factors and by stress testing portfolios.

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Aramco IPO shows importance of timely index inclusion 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Saudi Aramco’s IPO showed why single-country index providers may sometimes need to include companies (especially larger ones) outside of scheduled reviews, as they work to bridge gaps between a country’s equity index exposure and economic drivers.

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Did private capital deliver? 

Global Investing

Private-capital funds enjoyed record inflows from 2014 to 2018, as asset owners sought high-returning assets that had low correlations to traditional public asset classes. Did private capital deliver?

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Trade deal broadened access to China’s nonperforming loans 

Risk Management , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Emerging Markets

The phase-one U.S.-China trade deal lets U.S. asset managers acquire nonperforming loans directly from Chinese banks. We assess the market’s characteristics, as investors face challenges estimating recovery rates and liquidation timing of these loans.

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Looking to the futures of emerging markets 

Global Investing , Risk Management , Economic Exposure , Emerging Markets

Emerging-market (EM) equities have delivered unique risk and return characteristics over the last 30 years. Are futures on EM stocks a liquid enough means to gain exposure during normal and stressed conditions?

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Emerging markets since China A shares’ inclusion 

Global Investing

The emerging-market (EM) equity segment has evolved substantially during the two and a half years since MSCI announced the inclusion of China A shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

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The value of standards in the investment process 

Global Investing

Standards can establish a common language and provide clarity among market participants. We examine three to see how they can help evaluate returns, quantify factor exposures and measure the impact of changes in sector and industry trends.

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A default wave for Chinese consumer ABS? 

Economic Exposure , Emerging Markets , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

The default rate for auto loans in Chinese consumer asset-backed securities increased rapidly in recent months, and China may be moving toward a more borrower-friendly bankruptcy regime. Could this   lead to even higher default rates?

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Have regional equity-market correlations risen? 

Global Investing

Global equity investors use regions as building blocks in asset allocation, typically segregating markets by how developed they are and by geography. Has globalization reduced the potential for geographical portfolio diversification?

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The state of global investing 

Economic Exposure , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Financial markets are inherently unpredictable, while structural forces such as shifts in monetary policy, trade conflicts and climate change compound the challenges facing investors. Read our analysis commissioned by Norway’s Ministry of Finance.

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Emerging market country allocation matters 

Emerging Markets , Global Investing , Economic Exposure

Investors with strong convictions on emerging markets might consider an approach allowing tilts toward or away from specific themes, such as active allocation to single-country index-based funds. We explore considerations linked with this approach.

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Cyclicals vs. defensives: Did tariffs tip the scales? 

Economic Exposure , Emerging Markets , Global Investing

Did tariffs imposed by the U.S. and China in May trigger a shift to defensive from cyclical stocks? How did they affect different U.S. sectors and industry groups?

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Value investing is down. But is it out? 

Factor Indexes , Factor Investing , Factors , Global Investing

Value stocks generally underperformed the broad U.S. equity market over the past decade — just as they did in the late 1990s. What drove that underperformance? Was it consistent globally? Within U.S. sectors?

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Stress testing US-China trade wars 

Emerging Markets , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Risk Management

Amid ongoing U.S.-China trade tension, we have updated our stress test to consider three scenarios for how the situation could unfold — and their impact on currency, bond and equity markets around the world.

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Chinese convertibles: Equities in fancy dress? 

Emerging Markets , Fixed Income , Global Investing , Models/Client Cases , Risk Management

Chinese corporate bonds that convert to A shares display equity-like characteristics. But investors who view these securities as equities in disguise are overlooking the complexities of the asset class.

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Stress testing Brexit: Deal or no deal? 

Global Investing , Models/Client Cases , Risk Management

Brexit has roiled markets since U.K. voters chose “leave” in the June 2016 referendum. We used our stress-testing model to examine how markets could react to deal and no-deal scenarios.

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What’s the downside in real estate? 

Real Estate Investing , Global Investing

Real estate has always been marked by periods of expansion and sometimes painful corrections. But all cycles are not alike.

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Is climate-change risk all about fossil fuels? Think again. 

ESG Research , Global Investing

When it comes to reducing greenhouse gases, investors tend to focus on fossil fuels and power generation. But other companies also need to adapt to a lower-carbon world. We look at the implications for five types of companies.

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Real estate may be yielding less than you thought 

Global Investing , Real Estate Investing

Income has long been an important part of real estate returns meaning yields are often heavily scrutinized by investors. However, headline yields do not factor in capital expenditure requirements which can vary significantly. Investors looking to better understand potential “free cash flow” positions of portfolios post-capex may want to adjust the yields they use to account for it.

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Using multi-country multi-currency futures in portfolio management 

Global Investing , Risk Management

Investors seeking to more tightly manage their exposures to regional or global benchmarks are turning to multi-country multi-currency futures.

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The changing face of real estate portfolios 

Global Investing , Real Estate Investing

Office and retail investments’ historic dominance of commercial real estate portfolios is decreasing, with other property types — including logistics centers, student housing, and data centers — increasing. This evolution highlights how technology and the search for yield have led investors to diversify and seek exposure to other property types.

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Home bias in fixed income: Has it helped or hurt? 

Fixed Income , Global Investing , Integrated Risk Management

Has global diversification historically helped reduce risk in the fixed-income portfolios of U.S. defined-benefit (DB) pension plans? Our backtests show that globalizing bond allocations would have increased risk measured relative to a liability benchmark. For such plans, home bias in bond portfolios would have reduced active risk over the period of our study.

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Is there another Woodford waiting to happen? 

Global Investing , Risk Management

When the Woodford Equity Income Fund suspended redemptions on June 3, 2019, it showed how, when a fund’s liquidity profile is misaligned with its shareholder profile and redemption constraints, a single large redemption request can trigger gating. 

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Under the hood: Rating ESG funds 

ESG Research , Global Investing

Nearly $31 trillion in assets under management were invested in funds that consider ESG issues in their investing process as of January 2018, a 34% increase from two years previously. Transparency is key to understanding what this expansion means.

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Asian retail resilience: Have store hours affected performance? 

Real Estate Investing , Global Investing

Industrial real estate has outperformed retail assets in recent years, but the trend has been less pronounced in Asia, where store hours, among other reasons, might have led to more resilient retail performance.

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The rise of fundamental factors in China A shares 

Emerging Markets , Factor Investing , Global Investing

Commonly held perceptions about China A shares have influenced investors to think factor strategies may not work in the Chinese equity markets. Our research suggests this may be changing.