Research Paper - We detail the biggest-ever structural change to the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) in terms of market capitalization impact: the Telecommunication Services sector being broadened significantly and renamed Communication Services. This reflects the fact that the way people communicate, share information and entertain themselves – and the way companies have responded to this new dynamic – has significantly and fundamentally changed.

Blog Post - The recent 40% drop in the Turkish lira is part of a long-term trend of rising emerging-market currency volatility. Typically, investors do not hedge this exposure. Is it time to reconsider this approach?

Blog post - Since the early 1990s, Japan has suffered two decades of poor stock returns. Despite this, most Japanese investors maintain a heavy domestic equity bias — at a significant opportunity cost. Given the potential benefits of global diversification, is continued reliance on domestic stocks the wisest way forward?

Blog post - With new tariffs in effect as of July 6, we investigate our earlier assertion that “while an expanded trade war could lead to a ‘lose-lose’ outcome, there could be greater impact for stocks in the U.S. Overall, they are more exposed to the Chinese economy than the other way around.”

Blog post - Many institutional investors have long viewed China A shares as an inefficient market, suggesting that active strategies such as stock-picking can thrive. However, researching a universe of over 3,500 stocks comes with huge challenges, and may lead investors to question whether factor-based systematic strategies could have worked well with China A shares.

Blog post - Can factor insights be applied to construct equity portfolios in the China A shares market? With the partial inclusion of China A shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, we explore whether the China A shares market has distinctive characteristics that lend themselves to factor investing strategies.

Blog post - Investors eager to write the obituary of the size premium might want to put down their pens. Small-cap stocks in developed markets outside the U.S. have been on a decade-long run of outpacing their large- and mid-cap counterparts.

Blog post - Emerging markets may never be the same. On May 31, MSCI will include 226 China large-cap A shares to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Inclusion at a 5% initial weight could lead to approximately USD 22 billion of capital inflows into these stocks. What might investors need to consider as we approach this milestone?