Thematic Investing

Thematic Investing application

Unlike traditional, backward-looking investment approaches that focus on ‘past winners’, Thematic Investing reflects a future world that may be very different from the past. Our thematic indexes directly capture themes across a range of subjects using our rules-based methodology.

To capture these future-forward themes, MSCI has brought together a panel of respected industry experts, our own research team, and our robust, rules-based, structured index construction approach, to support clients seeking to uncover the opportunities these long-term trends may hold. Our thematic index construction is designed to be flexible, scalable and customizable and allow for combinations of multiple themes or sub-themes.

• ETF Providers
  (PDF, 323 KB) (opens in a new tab)

  ETFs are now available on almost all our megatrend indexes and we are seeing an increasing licensing demand globally.

• Asset Owners
  (PDF, 323 KB) (opens in a new tab)

  Understand and manage targeted exposure to longterm structural trends and effectively benchmark performance.

• Banks
  (PDF, 324 KB) (opens in a new tab)

  Choose from a comprehensive range of thematic indexes to support structured product build around in demand megatrends.

• Active Managers
  (PDF, 323 KB) (opens in a new tab)

  Respond to the demands of asset owners and understand your portfolios exposure to key, long-term change.

A wide variety of financial products and services are based on or use MSCI Thematic Indexes. Client license for standard as well as custom versions based on their investment objectives. To find out more, download the list of clients (PDF, 138 KB) (opens in a new tab).

Our solutions in action

• Digital Assets

  To meet demand for greater insight and transparency into the digital assets space, MSCI has introduced new Digital Asset Indexes as well as datonomy™, a new digital assets classification system.

• Thematic Exposure Standard

  MSCI Thematic Exposure Standard is designed to help investors identify, measure, and leverage the emerging, long-term secular trends shaping our future.

• Circular Economy Indexes

  MSCI’s suite of Circular Economy Indexes offers a new way to think about your portfolio as the transition to a circular economy drives innovation and new business models.

• Life Sciences Indexes

  Our suite of MSCI Life Sciences Indexes aims to represent long-term, future-focused themes that are expected to disrupt the life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.