MSCI Blog

Factor investing is now going multi-asset class: to factor-based asset allocation and systematic strategy factors that push beyond equity selection.

Research Paper

Factor investing aims to capture exposures to various equity risk premia. For that, investors need a standardized approach to assess whether a factor investment meets their objectives along the dimensions of performance, exposure, investability, and, for multi-factor investments, combination effects (diversification and turnover reduction). MSCI has created the "IndexMetrics" analytical framework to address this need and to help bring transparency to multi-factor allocations.In...

Indexes

Webcast

Factor indexing is increasingly popular in Australia and globally. These strategies are increasingly made available for advisers through the ETF market. But what do advisers need to learn about these investments tools?  And how to consider applying them to any investment portfolio? In this first webinar in MSCI’s Factor Investing Series, we start at the beginning by explaining the evolution of factor indexing, what it is and how it works, and where it can potentially benefit your...

Indexes

Research Paper

The perennial appeal of value investing is based on the excellent long-term performance of global value stocks. Investors today use various approaches to identify and compare the exposure of stocks with "value" characteristics that help explain risk and return. In this Research Spotlight, we create a common definition of “value” and examine how value strategies can be implemented, in both active and passive portfolios, using three generations of value indexes as examples.

Indexes Factor Indexes Value Weighted

Research Paper

The quality factor has worked best in a "risk-off" market environment. Yet quality is not as well understood as other factors, despite being deeply embedded in Benjamin Graham’s value investing philosophy. In this Research Insight, we argue that the quality of a company can generally be evaluated along five key dimensions: Profitability, Earnings Quality, Financial Leverage, Asset Growth and Corporate Governance. Investors can replicate a variety of quality indexes, depending on their...

Indexes

Research Paper

The perennial appeal of value investing is based on the excellent long-term performance of global value stocks. Investors today use various approaches to identify the exposure of stocks with “value” characteristics that help explain risk and return.  In this Research Insight, we create a common definition of “value” and examine how value strategies can be implemented, in both active and passive portfolios, using three generations of value indexes as examples.

Indexes Factor Indexes Value Weighted

Research Paper

Ever since central banks slashed interest rates in response to the Global Financial Crisis, many institutional and retail investors turned to high dividend-paying equities to meet their needs for income. However, a naïve high-yielding equity strategy can expose itself to various “yield traps,” such as those stemming from temporarily high earnings, high payouts or low stock price. We find that the yield factor has tended to perform well during a structurally low and rising interest rate...

Indexes

Research Paper

The size premium has been widely used in asset allocation and in risk models for decades. However, some academics and practitioners have contested the validity of the size premium. They argue: 1) the size premium has disappeared in the last 20 years and no longer exists; 2) the size premium exists only in the United States and not in other markets; 3) the size premium disappears after filtering out smaller stocks for investability. In this paper, we refute these claims and examine ways of...

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