TacticScaleWhat MSCI Does & How It Makes Money (MSCI)
Updated October 2026 · reflects MSCI's latest reported financials
Provider of investment indexes, risk analytics, and ESG data. MSCI makes money by licensing its indexes to investment products such as ETFs, funds, and derivatives, and by selling data, analytics, ratings, and software to institutional investors.
How MSCI makes money
MSCI makes money by licensing its indexes to investment products such as ETFs, funds, and derivatives, and by selling data, analytics, ratings, and software to institutional investors.
What MSCI does
MSCI Inc. is a New York-based provider of research-based data, analytics, and indexes for the global investment industry, incorporated in 1998. Its Index segment offers indexes used in ETFs, mutual funds, futures, options, structured products, and benchmarking, and it licenses the GICS industry classification system. The Analytics segment provides risk management, performance attribution, and portfolio management tools covering market, credit, liquidity, counterparty, and climate risk, along with managed services and HedgePlatform for hedge fund risk monitoring. Beyond public markets, MSCI's Sustainability and Climate segment supplies ESG ratings, data, and research to help investors assess long-term risk and meet regulations. Its private assets businesses cover real estate, infrastructure, and private credit data and benchmarks, while Private Capital Solutions supports private investors with workflows such as deal terms sourcing, performance evaluation, and risk management.
Products & services
- MSCI Indexes
- GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard)
- Risk and portfolio analytics
- HedgePlatform
- ESG ratings and climate data
- Private Capital Solutions
What is MSCI worth?
On an owner-earnings DCF, MSCI's most-likely value is about $662 versus a recent price near $565 (17% below fair value). But TacticScale only calls a stock undervalued when the price sits below its conservative no-growth floor (~$231) with a margin of safety — so the honest verdict here is “Fairly priced — no edge.” Fair value earns its keep only at the extremes, not in the wide middle.
Price sits in the normal range — fair value isn't actionable here; it earns its keep only when price drops below the no-growth floor, or runs to roughly double the optimistic case.
Analysis, not advice. Fair value is a margin-of-safety estimate from a deterministic owner-earnings DCF, not a price target or recommendation. See the full breakdown →
Related companies
S&P Global (SPGI) · Morningstar (MORN) · Moody's (MCO) · MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) · Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)