Perspectives

MSCI's Ashley Lester and Axel Kilian unpack the most concentrated equity rally in decades, the effects of megacap IPOs, such as SpaceX and why fixed income never bought the rally — and what this all could mean for the rest of 2026.

After 15 years of near-uninterrupted growth, private markets are facing something they haven't faced before: a real test. In this episode, recorded on the sidelines of the inaugural MSCI Private Assets Summit, host Adam Bass speaks with leaders across private credit, private equity and real estate about what's driving stress across the asset class and what comes next. Featuring MSCI's Ashley Lester and Jim Costello, along with experts from Bain & Company, the Arizona State Retirement System, Three Bridge Wealth Advisors and other leading organizations.

As global markets undergo a turbulent re-rating, institutional investors are rethinking their hedging tools. In this episode, MSCI's Vasileios Koutsoulis, NYSE's Brian Gilbart and NEOS Investments' Wes Matthews discuss the growing ecosystem for MSCI EM and EAFE Index options now trading at NYSE. They cover why the building-block structure of MSCI indexes were selected for liquid derivatives markets, how volatility regimes have shifted in 2026 and how covered-call strategies are converting volatility risk premia into income for international equity investors.

In a quarter defined by converging shocks — Middle East conflict, AI's “SaaSpocalypse” and private credit stress — MSCI's Ashley Lester and Axel Kilian explore what markets are pricing in and where investors may want to focus.

ETFs have transformed fixed income — but the story now is shifting toward active. MSCI's Jarrad Lindsey and Jim Jackson of Victory Income Investors dig into why active fixed income ETFs are capturing a growing share of new flows, what "active" actually means in a bond portfolio, and where product innovation is headed. A sharp, practical conversation for anyone serious about fixed income.

History, it turns out, has a lot to say about what's happening today. Fifty years of market history meets today's most pressing investment questions. Kristy Akullian from BlackRock and MSCI's Christine Berg and Abhishek Gupta explore market concentration, the unwinding of home bias, the practical power of factors and the hidden risks buried in global supply chains - and what history tells us about all of it.

From geopolitical uncertainty to tariff shocks , investment teams are under pressure to move faster than ever. In this episode, MSCI's Hitendra Varsani and Andrew DeMond examine how AI is compressing workflows from weeks to minutes — and what CIOs and CROs need to consider as they navigate this new landscape.

As he prepares to retire, MSCI President Baer Pettit reflects on 25 years of profound market change - from the rise of indexation and ETFs to globalization, private markets and AI - and considers how these structural shifts may shape portfolios and investor decision-making in the years ahead.

What happens when diversification stops working? As correlations shift and traditional assumptions break down, investors are turning to scenario analysis and stress testing. Thomas Verbraken and Monika Szikszai explain how these tools can help uncover vulnerabilities and prepare portfolios for "Triple-Red" market environments.

As sustainability grows noisier and more politicized, investors are being forced to look past the headlines and focus on fundamentals. Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI, and Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, discuss the economic signals, climate risk and investor decisions shaping the transition.