Perspectives

Asset managers in the U.S. and Europe are clamoring for better data and standards to help meet rising demand for ESG strategies across asset classes. We dig deep into the results of a recent Index Industry Association (IIA) survey of 300 managers, with the IIA’s CEO, Rick Redding, Mark Purdy, managing director of Purdy & Associates and MSCI’s head of global solutions research, Raman Aylur Subramanian.

As the second quarter of 2021 drew to a close and the global economy continued to reawaken, the big stories were the resurgence of value, the positive correlation between value and momentum and the potential for inflation. What can history and factor ETF flows tell us about our current conditions? Join our quarterly conversation with Hitendra Varsani, along with BlackRock’s US Head of Factor ETFs, Robert Hum and Patrick M. Moraniec, Senior Investment Manager of International Equity for the State of Michigan Retirement System.

We continue our look at diversity, equality and inclusion efforts through the lens of creating a safe space for LGBTQ employees, and how achieving this goal can be difficult, especially for global companies that need to account for different history, cultural norms and laws across different office locations.

Like those in other industries, investors are looking for more customization, to go to market faster and have more control over the products they build. They’ll find it by looking to the cloud. We explore why and what the impact may be.

What does the future of work look like? The answer will affect corporate day-to-day operations, culture, recruitment and retention and, certainly, investors.

Shareholder proposals for strong action on climate change and diversity have taken center stage at this year’s annual meetings. Hear a report from the front lines and insight into how we arrived at this moment in investment-stewardship history.

As restrictions lift and economies re-emerge from their long slumber, inflation may have reawakened as well. We discuss the implications for investors, including many who have never worked through a time of sustained inflation.

The announcement of a company’s net-zero commitment is the result of much analysis and multiple decisions. But the key is that it represents the start of the process, not its conclusion.

The creation of a universe that blends our lives online and off will change the way we live, work and play. It also has real-world implications for investors and the planet.

Despite a decade or so of disappointing performance, value’s recent uptick merits examination into what drove its performance historically, and if conditions have changed or if the factor needs to be redefined.