MSCI Completes the Successful Implementation of Final Phase of the 20% Partial Inclusion of China A Shares in MSCI Indexes

News provided by
MSCI Inc.
November 27, 2019 13:44 Korea Standard Time

LONDON--(Business Wire / Korea Newswire)--MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of research-based indexes and analytics, is pleased to announce today the successful completion of the third and final phase of the 20% partial inclusion of China A shares in the MSCI Indexes, including in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

As of the close of markets on November 26, 2019, the MSCI Indexes will include 472 China A shares, comprised of 244 large cap and 228 mid cap securities. The weight of China A shares in the MSCI ACWI and MSCI Emerging Markets Indexes will reach 0.5% and 4%, respectively. The MSCI China Index, which includes China A shares and offshore listed shares, will include 710 securities representing 4% and 34% of the MSCI ACWI and MSCI Emerging Markets Indexes, respectively.

As previously stated, any further inclusion of China A shares in the MSCI Indexes would follow a public consultation and be reviewed against the progress made towards addressing the remaining market reforms highlighted by international institutional investors. During MSCI’s most recent public consultation on China A inclusion[1] investors stressed the need to resolve the following concerns ahead of consideration of further inclusion:

· Access to hedging and derivatives instruments: International institutional investors require liquid on and offshore index futures and options contracts in order to expand their allocation to China and manage their increased exposure. Index futures and options contracts are critical risk management tools for global investors, particularly for complex, deep and varied equity markets such as in China.

· Short settlement cycle for China A shares: International institutional investors have highlighted that they continue to face significant operational challenges and risks in dealing with the short settlement cycle of China A shares. China currently operates on a T+0/T+1 non-Delivery versus Payment (non-DVP) settlement cycle. Most markets in the MSCI ACWI operate currently on a T+2/T+3 DVP settlement cycle.

· Trading holidays of Stock Connect: International institutional investors are concerned with the misalignment between onshore China and Stock Connect holidays. Given that most global institutional investors currently rely on Stock Connect as the primary access channel for China A shares, it is important that the current trading holiday arrangement be reviewed to minimize unnecessary investment frictions.

· Availability of Omnibus trading mechanism in Stock Connect: Many large fund managers and broker dealers have highlighted the pressing need for a well- functioning omnibus mechanism. The ability to place a single order on behalf of multiple client accounts is critical to facilitate best execution and lower operational risk to international institutional investors.

MSCI will launch a public consultation on further inclusion of China A shares in MSCI Indexes only after all the above-mentioned concerns have been addressed by the Chinese authorities in order to continue to facilitate international investment.

About MSCI

MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com.

[1] MSCI conducted a public consultation on the increased weighting of China A Shares in MSCI Indexes from September 2018 - February 2019.

This document and all of the information contained in it, including without limitation all text, data, graphs, charts (collectively, the “Information”) is the property of MSCI Inc. or its subsidiaries (collectively, “MSCI”), or MSCI’s licensors, direct or indirect suppliers or any third party involved in making or compiling any Information (collectively, with MSCI, the “Information Providers”) and is provided for informational purposes only. The Information may not be modified, reverse-engineered, reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior written permission from MSCI.

The Information may not be used to create derivative works or to verify or correct other data or information. For example (but without limitation), the Information may not be used to create indexes, databases, risk models, analytics, software, or in connection with the issuing, offering, sponsoring, managing or marketing of any securities, portfolios, financial products or other investment vehicles utilizing or based on, linked to, tracking or otherwise derived from the Information or any other MSCI data, information, products or services.

The user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information. NONE OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDERS MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION (OR THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE USE THEREOF), AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH INFORMATION PROVIDER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, COMPLETENESS, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF THE INFORMATION.

Without limiting any of the foregoing and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall any Information Provider have any liability regarding any of the Information for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential (including lost profits) or any other damages even if notified of the possibility of such damages. The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited, including without limitation (as applicable), any liability for death or personal injury to the extent that such injury results from the negligence or willful default of itself, its servants, agents or sub-contractors.

Information containing any historical information, data or analysis should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

The Information should not be relied on and is not a substitute for the skill, judgment and experience of the user, its management, employees, advisors and/or clients when making investment and other business decisions. All Information is impersonal and not tailored to the needs of any person, entity or group of persons.

None of the Information constitutes an offer to sell (or a solicitation of an offer to buy), any security, financial product or other investment vehicle or any trading strategy.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Exposure to an asset class or trading strategy or other category represented by an index is only available through third party investable instruments (if any) based on that index. MSCI does not issue, sponsor, endorse, market, offer, review or otherwise express any opinion regarding any fund, ETF, derivative or other security, investment, financial product or trading strategy that is based on, linked to or seeks to provide an investment return related to the performance of any MSCI index (collectively, “Index Linked Investments”). MSCI makes no assurance that any Index Linked Investments will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. MSCI Inc. is not an investment adviser or fiduciary and MSCI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in any Index Linked Investments.

Index returns do not represent the results of actual trading of investible assets/securities. MSCI maintains and calculates indexes, but does not manage actual assets. Index returns do not reflect payment of any sales charges or fees an investor may pay to purchase the securities underlying the index or Index Linked Investments. The imposition of these fees and charges would cause the performance of an Index Linked Investment to be different than the MSCI index performance.

The Information may contain back tested data. Back-tested performance is not actual performance, but is hypothetical. There are frequently material differences between back tested performance results and actual results subsequently achieved by any investment strategy.

Constituents of MSCI equity indexes are listed companies, which are included in or excluded from the indexes according to the application of the relevant index methodologies. Accordingly, constituents in MSCI equity indexes may include MSCI Inc., clients of MSCI or suppliers to MSCI. Inclusion of a security within an MSCI index is not a recommendation by MSCI to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

Data and information produced by various affiliates of MSCI Inc., including MSCI ESG Research LLC and Barra LLC, may be used in calculating certain MSCI indexes. More information can be found in the relevant index methodologies on www.msci.com.

MSCI receives compensation in connection with licensing its indexes to third parties. MSCI Inc.’s revenue includes fees based on assets in Index Linked Investments. Information can be found in MSCI Inc.’s company filings on the Investor Relations section of www.msci.com.

MSCI ESG Research LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and a subsidiary of MSCI Inc. Except with respect to any applicable products or services from MSCI ESG Research, neither MSCI nor any of its products or services recommends, endorses, approves or otherwise expresses any opinion regarding any issuer, securities, financial products or instruments or trading strategies and MSCI’s products or services are not intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. Issuers mentioned or included in any MSCI ESG Research materials may include MSCI Inc., clients of MSCI or suppliers to MSCI, and may also purchase research or other products or services from MSCI ESG Research. MSCI ESG Research materials, including materials utilized in any MSCI ESG Indexes or other products, have not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body.

Any use of or access to products, services or information of MSCI requires a license from MSCI. MSCI, Barra, RiskMetrics, IPD, and other MSCI brands and product names are the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of MSCI or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was developed by and is the exclusive property of MSCI and Standard & Poor’s. “Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS)” is a service mark of MSCI and Standard & Poor’s.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191126005578/en/

Website: http://www.msci.com

Contact

MSCI Inc.
Media Inquiries
Sam Wang
+1 212 804 5244
Melanie Blanco
+1 212 981 1049
Laura Hudson
+44 20 7336 9653
Rachel Lai
+852 2844 9315


MSCI Global Client Service
EMEA Client Service
+ 44 20 7618.2222
Americas Client Service
+1 888 588 4567 (toll free)
Asia Pacific Client Service
+ 852 2844 9333

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.