MSCI Blog

As commitments to reach net-zero by 2050 surge, institutional investors are looking for tools to implement net-zero strategies in portfolios. Futures linked to the MSCI Climate Paris Aligned Indexes are one option for asset managers and asset owners.

ESG Indexes ESG Climate VaR ESG Climate Solutions

MSCI Blog

In 2021, oil and gas stocks bounced back after five years of weak performance. However, leading MSCI ESG Indexes, which often have lower weights to high-carbon emission industries such as oil and gas, were resilient last year. What drove performance?

ESG Indexes

MSCI Blog

A climate-first approach can help wealth managers tailor portfolios to the unique preferences of clients who want their investments to slow climate change or create positive impact while furthering their financial objectives and appetite for risk.

ESG Ratings ESG Climate Solutions ESG Indexes

Research Paper

Indexes ESG Products & Services ESG Indexes ESG Ratings Research

MSCI Blog

Inflows into ESG funds have soared in recent years and months, in part motivated by outperformance since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted. But have these inflows become a self-fulfilling prophecy, creating an ESG bubble?

ESG Ratings ESG Indexes SRI

Research Paper

The pressure on institutional investors to act on climate change and demonstrate its influence on their decision-making and portfolio construction continues to grow. Increasingly, the focus is on the alignment of client investment strategies with the decarbonization pathways required to deliver the global 1.5oC increase targeted by the Paris Agreement. This alignment may be achieved by overweighting companies on a credible path to decarbonization or offering green solutions, while in contrast...

ESG Climate Solutions Research and Screening ESG Products & Services ESG Indexes

Research Paper

How an overall ESG rating is constructed can significantly impact its usefulness. We tested two approaches: equal weighting and backward optimization. Equally weighting E, S, and G pillar scores across sectors showed less financial significance than the stand-alone G pillar score — that is, without E and S scores — over the 13-year study period. Backward optimization showed greater significance than stand-alone G scores but may underestimate the importance of ESG indicators to financial...

ESG Ratings ESG Indexes ESG Products & Services

MSCI Blog

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.

ESG Indexes ESG Products & Services Emerging Markets Indexes

MSCI Blog

As investors evaluate the possible reallocation of capital around the transition toward a low-carbon future, we analyzed the characteristics and performance of companies engaged in green versus carbon-intensive activities. Was there evidence of a “green-to-fossil-fuel premium”?

ESG Products & Services MSCI ESG Indexes ESG Indexes Environmental Indexes GICS MSCI Sector Indexes

Research Paper

A transition to a low-carbon economy could alter the risk-return profile for many industries. The MSCI Climate Change Indexes aim to be practical tools to assist institutional investors in reflecting these potential changes in their investment strategies. They seek to do so by increasing the index weight for providers of low-carbon solutions and decreasing the weight of companies negatively exposed to such changes while seeking to maintain broad market exposure. In July 2020, MSCI launched...

Indexes ESG Products & Services ESG Climate Solutions ESG Indexes