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ESG Now

MSCI ESG Research LLC·Hosted by Mike Disabato·42 episodes

BusinessInvestingNewsESG investingMarket analysis15-25 minStandalone episodesResearch-ledBusiness news

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) news and investment research brought to you weekly covering major market trends and new research insights. With topics ranging from climate impact on investment portfolios, corporate actions, trending investment topics, and emerging ESG issues, host Mike Disabato of MSCI ESG Research walk through the latest news and research that is top of mind for MSCI ESG Research clients and partners. MSCI ESG Research products and services are provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, and are designed to provide in-depth research, ratings and analysis of environmental, social and governance-related business practices to companies worldwide. ESG ratings...

Why listen

ESG Now gives investors a fast, research-led read on how environmental, social, and governance issues show up in real companies and markets. Host Mike Disabato of MSCI ESG Research turns headlines about climate risk, labor, disclosure, governance, data breaches, and corporate controversies into practical portfolio context. It is best for listeners who want concise business news with an ESG lens rather than broad market chatter.

Episodes

22 min
Aug 30, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Johnson & Johnson's Brand and Opioids, and the Fashion Industry Makes Another Coalition for the Week of August 26

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Johnson & Johnson's brand wavers as the opioid crisis comes home (1:10), and the fashion industry tries to lower its waste (11:09), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

23 min
Aug 23, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Singapore will track societal health with Fitbit, and shareholders no longer matter for the Week of August 19

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: The Singapore Health Board partners with Fitbit (0:54), and Meggin and Ric discuss the Business Roundtable's anti-Friedman claim (17:49), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

23 min
Aug 20, 2019
The hidden cost of cement

Is new stuff the best way to lower our emissions(3:36), maybe not because everything new uses everything old (7:40), well then should investors do something about it (12:00), because cement and fossil fuels are closer than you would think (15:15), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

20 min
Aug 16, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Plastics and Fossil Fuel get more cozy, and two rapid fire takes on WeWork and disclosures for the Week of August 12

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Shell builds a petrochemical facility (0:41), and Matt and Ric quickly try to understand WeWork and the purpose of disclosures (13:44), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

19 min
Aug 9, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Walmart's CEO gets called out in the gun debate, and L Brands' CMO resigns amid company turmoil on the Week of August 5

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Walmart's CEO must address gun sales at his stores (0:44), and the CMO of L Brands resigns amid company turmoil (8:58), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

20 min
Aug 1, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Capital One: Who's in your wallet? And NGOs call Cargill the worst company in the world on the Week of July 29

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Capital One does not know who is in your wallet (0:38), and NGOs call Cargill the worst company in the world (10:25), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

20 min
Jul 26, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Equifax is fined a record USD$800 million after its 2017 data breach, and subprime auto loans area threaten both the auto industry and drivers on the Week of July 22

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Equifax is fined a record USD$800 million after its 2017 data breach (0:36), and subprime auto loans area threaten both the auto industry and drivers (8:01), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

23 min
Jul 19, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Water is Bigger in Texas and My Brand, My Ideology on the Week of July 15

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Texas landowners sell their water to oil companies in the desert (0:53), and companies get pulled into social movements (11:22), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

20 min
Jul 12, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Vedanta is a Mine Short and Direct Listing is the New Black on the Week of July 8

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Vedanta loses a mine, but is it Vedanta's fault (1:10), and Slack's direct listing works but does it obscure risks (7:18), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

15 min
Jul 5, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Tesla Delivers Cars and Wayfair's Labor Problem on the Week of July 1

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Tesla announces record delivery of cars (0:58), and Wayfair's labor walkout is the new CEO problem (5:03), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

16 min
Jun 28, 2019
The ESG Weekly: San Fran's E-Cigarette Ban and Chicken Collusion on the Week of June 25

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: San Francisco bans the use and sale of e-cigarettes (0:44), and poultry processors are accused of collusion in chicken prices (9:11), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

22 min
Jun 25, 2019
Tomorrow's Labor Solution Is... Unions?

Karl Marx's biggest meme was a labor innovation (2:42), but also an investor problem (4:48), but someone should tell South Korea (6:42) because the tech model has labor problems (11:00) and Jack Ma and Richard Liu poked the bear (13:11), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

16 min
Jun 21, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Facebook's Libra and the Trans Mountain Pipeline on the Week of June 17

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Facebook announces its crypto solution in Libra (0:33), and Canada's Trans Mountain pipeline is approved (8:28), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

16 min
Jun 14, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Raytheon/UTC and Ocado's Vertical Farm Play on the Week of June 10

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Raytheon/UTC could have a human capital problem (1:11), and Ocado's vertical farm is a sustainability love story (8:25), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

14 min
Jun 7, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Corruption in China and Health Care Equipment on the Week of June 3

One story this week with ESG glasses: GE, Siemens, and Philips get caught in a corruption scandal in China, so who cares about it most? (0:42), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

14 min
May 31, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Renault/Fiat and Malaysia Just Says "No" to Your Recycling on the Week of May 27

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Renault/Fiat could end up confusing investors (0:42) and Malaysia rethinks its recycling strategy (6:26), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
May 23, 2019
The ESG Weekly: McDonald's #MeToo moment and Overstock.com's Bitcoin play on the Week of May 20

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: McDonald's contends with a discrimination lawsuit (0:47) and Overstock.com's CEO contends with fallback from his stock sale (5:41), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
May 16, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Is There an ESG Angle on Trade Wars, and Amazon's Four-Legged Stool on the Week of May 13

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: the US-China trade war has a weird ESG twist (0:45) and Amazon's robot boxing investment (5:45), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
May 9, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Is It Disruption Week? Swine Fever and iBuying on the Week of May 6

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: swine fever is disrupting the global pork market (0:44) and Zillow targets inefficiency with iBuying (7:15), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

13 min
May 2, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Norsk Hydro's NASA Fraud and Marriot Goes Gig Economy on the Week of April 29

Two stories this week with ESG glasses: Norsk Hydro's subsidiary pays NASA for false metal testing (0:58) and Marriott looks to AirBnB for inspiration (7:36), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

18 min
Apr 30, 2019
The Problems with ESG

ESG critics and detractors might be right as we look at three big criticisms one by one: there's not enough good data (2:43), there's too much useles data (7:32), and the ESG rating built from the data are meaningless (11:07), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

10 min
Apr 26, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Umicore and the Cobalt Problem on the Week of April 22

One story this week with ESG glasses: Umicore saw its earnings drop and blamed undercutting competition for cobalt (0:37), but the problem might be child labor at artisinal mines (2:12), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Apr 18, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Amazon Employees Form a (Shareholder) Union and Jack Ma's 996 Blessing on the Week of April 15

Two stories with ESG glasses: Amazon employees are turning to shareholder activism to change the company (1:27), and did Jack Ma poke a sleeping employee giant by calling 12 hour work days a blessing (5:47), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

11 min
Apr 12, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Disclosure is the Thing for Saudi Aramco and Social Media Becoming Tobacco on the Week of April 10

Two stories with ESG glasses: Saudi Aramco may be oversubscribed, but the disclosure might be the bigger deal (0:47), and the regulators are coming for social media in the UK (4:28), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

11 min
Apr 5, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Im(possible?) Burgers and Wells Fargo CEO Search on the Week of April 1

Two stories with ESG glasses: what exactly is the investor angle for Burger King's Impossible Burger play (1:34), and what does it mean that Wells Fargo can't find a new CEO (4:16), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Mar 27, 2019
The ESG Weekly: McDonald's AI play and Purdue settles on the Week of March 25

Two stories with ESG glasses: are the efficiency gains of AI at McDonald's worth the data risk (1:19), and what does it mean for Purdue to settle some opioid litigation for the industry(5:26), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Mar 22, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Paul Ryan and Robots on the Week of March 17

Two stories with ESG glasses: is Paul Ryan on the board of Fox Corp a good idea (1:35), and how the next tech disruption might be social and not technological (3:25), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

16 min
Mar 19, 2019
Leadership Crisis, or Crisis in Influence?

The cocktail of hyper transparency and societal change makes for vulnerable leaders (3:25), but predicting who's next may be a bridge too far (5:15), but investors have solutions to limit the pain (7:18), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

14 min
Mar 15, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Boeing and Ride Shares on the Week of March 10

Two stories with ESG glasses: is the Boeing problem software, or automation (1:48), and how with the Uber and Lyft IPOs, one is not like the other (6:26), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Mar 8, 2019
The ESG Weekly: Nordea and Toilet Paper on Week of March 3

Two stories with ESG glasses: Nordea and money laundering (3:48), and the toilet paper conundrum (7:00), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

14 min
Feb 26, 2019
Who Pays For Corruption?

We all pay for corruption, maybe without knowing it (2:12), or maybe in ways that are obvious (3:48), but investors are finding out corruption isn't just an emerging market problem (7:04), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

13 min
Feb 19, 2019
The Power of Peer Pressure on Pay

Companies pick their peers, and it matters, and sometimes investors aren't happy (2:49), even if directors are protected (4:16), but not from shareholders with power (6:20), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

20 min
Oct 30, 2018
Halloween is a Time for Zombies, Ghosts, and Frankenstein

It's Halloween, and that means ghosts need not apply (2:55), shareholder value might get eaten by zombies (7:33), and your creation might be a monster (12:03), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

16 min
Oct 15, 2018
A Short History of ESG: Part II

Modern ESG investing is a choose your own adventure, especially when soda meets marijuana. Path 1: Invest your values (1:47), Path 2: Invest for the money (6:02), Path 3: Invest for impact (9:33), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

11 min
Oct 5, 2018
A Short History of ESG: Part I

For more than 3,000 years, you've been ESG investing, in four chapters. Chapter 1: Your religion is also your financial advisor (1:36), Chapter 2: Financial outcomes are secondary considerations (3:06), Chapter 3: We find out what you really know (4:51), Chapter 4: The milk spills (6:37), all on the record Listen on Apple Podcasts.

15 min
Sep 24, 2018
Join the Gang: Climate Edition

A task force chaired by a billionaire has sent investors looking for advice on climate from unlikely sources that may just have them joining a gang. The TCFD (0:00), learning from... oil and gas? (4:00), don't forget renewables (6:32), to divest or engage (8:41), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

15 min
Sep 18, 2018
The Privacy of Things

Could the data you provide your dishwasher some day be more valuable than the dishwasher? Internet of Things (0:00), hacking and Hackers (2:55), the GDPR (4:00), Cambridge Analytica (7:06), converging IoT and social media data (10:06), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

13 min
Sep 11, 2018
When Genius Meets Governance

Thinking of Tesla, how should an investor balance good governance with visionary brilliance? Atari and Tesla (0:22), checks and balances (2:32), overgovernance at Apple (4:13), Google's golden shares (5:38), and the Tesla "problem" (9:10), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Sep 4, 2018
Back to School Special: Student Debt, Consumer Finance, and Robots

Student debt is huge in the US, but as an investor, is it a good bet? The trend of consumer finance (1:44), Navient stands out (3:38), the reckoning is... robots?(5:35), and it might actually be a skills crisis (8:30), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

12 min
Aug 30, 2018
Indra Nooyi, and Why Diversity of Management Matters

Longtime PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi... or one of few women CEOs?... steps down. We talk to Meggin Thwing-Eastman about why that matters. 'Another female CEO done' (0:36), board diversity and employee productivity (1:44), diversity as an investment theme (3:40), more data (6:17), and a little game (9:47), all on the record. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

18 min
Aug 28, 2018
Where should we even start? 2018 ESG Trends redux

Environmental, social, and governance investing related news, research, and trends. In this episode, we start at the beginning... of 2018. We revisit our conversation with Linda-Eling Lee from January as she walks us through the major ESG trends of this year. Emerging markets (1:48), carbon and asset allocation (4:10), fixed income and ESG (6:30), how much disclosure matters, or does it (9:28), and the Year of the Human (12:49) are discussed. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

6 min
Aug 24, 2018
Welcome to the MSCI ESG Research Podcast, ESG Now

Environmental, social, and governance investing related news, research, and insights. The MSCI ESG Research podcast series, ESG Now, officially launches soon. In this teaser episode, one of the hosts, Matt Moscardi, asks his family what they think he does for work exactly (before turning to an expert to get a real answer). Listen on Apple Podcasts.

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Casual listening
Best for: commutes, morning news routines, lunch breaks, workday resets
Tone: analytical, concise, research-driven, businesslike

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