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38-520: GICS is used as a basis for S&P and MSCI indexes used in the financial field which each company is assigned to a sub-industry, and to an industry, industry group, and sector, by its principal business activity. "GICS" is a registered trademark of McGraw Hill Financial and MSCI Inc. The classification is as follows: Per the MSCI World index, Information Technology is the biggest sector, with 22% of world capitalisation. The classification standard

76-492: A 3–2 vote to become the PCAOB's first Chairman. Just a few weeks after Webster was appointed to the PCAOB, however, another controversy erupted when newspapers reported that Webster had served on the board audit committee of U.S. Technologies , a high-technology company being investigated for accounting irregularities . Pitt, whose tenure as SEC Chair had already proven controversial, found himself in an untenable position. One of

114-460: A Zurich-based climate change analytics company. In September 2021, MSCI acquired Real Capital Analytics. In August 2023, MSCI completed the acquisition of New Jersey –based private assets data provider, Burgiss Group for $ 697 million. In October 2021, MSCI and Cboe Global Markets signed a licensing agreement that would see MSCI grow its options product suite and allow them to work on other projects as well. In April 2022, MSCI entered into

152-714: A chairman, each of whom is appointed by the SEC, after consultation with the chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury. Two board members, and only two members, must be Certified Public Accountants. If the PCAOB chairman is one of them, he or she may not have been a practicing CPA for at least five years prior to being appointed to the board. Each member serves full-time, for staggered five-year terms. The board's budget, approved by

190-641: A collaboration with MarketAxess to incorporate MSCI's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data and MarketAxess' pricing and liquidity indicators into fixed income indices in order to construct portfolios based on this data. The MSCI global equity indices have been calculated since 1969 and include MSCI World and MSCI EAFE. Initially, the company used eight factors in developing its indices: momentum, volatility, value, size, growth, size nonlinearity, liquidity, and financial leverage. In 2018 MSCI announced it would begin including mainland Chinese "A" shares in its MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Initially

228-497: A firm's efforts to address the criticisms or potential defects were not satisfactory, or (2) the firm makes no submission evidencing any such efforts. The PCAOB was created in response to an ever increasing number of accounting "restatements" (corrections of past financial statements) by public companies during the 1990s, and a series of high-profile accounting scandals and record-setting bankruptcies by large public companies, notably those in 2002 involving WorldCom and Enron , and

266-459: A former staff director and general counsel to three Senate committees. From 2011 to 2017, James R. Doty served as chairman, a former SEC general counsel and a former partner at the law firm of Baker Botts LLP. He was preceded by Mark W. Olson , a former member of the Federal Reserve board of governors. The first chairman in place at the PCAOB was former president and chief executive officer of

304-411: A large part of these reports is made public (called "Part I"), portions of the inspection reports that deal with criticisms of, or potential defects in, the audit firm's quality control systems are not made public if the firm addresses those matters to the board's satisfaction within 12 months after the report date. Those portions are made public (called "Part II"), however, if (1) the board determines that

342-569: A new private auditor oversight body to regulate the profession (a proposal which would evolve into the PCAOB). The SEC named William H. Webster , to be the first PCAOB Chairman. He was a prominent lawyer and former director of both the FBI and CIA . This appointment was controversial, however, for while Webster was widely recognized for his integrity and intellect, two of the SEC's five Commissioners believed that SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt had not properly vetted

380-410: Is leading and participating in audits through these filings, adding more specific data points to the mix of information that can be used when evaluating audit quality. The PCAOB also adopted a new standard in 2017 to enhance the usefulness of the standard auditor's report by providing additional and important information to investors, such as the critical audit matters (CAMs) that auditors communicate to

418-581: Is regularly updated by S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI. Numerous changes over the years have resulted in the addition, deletion, or redefinition of various sub-industries, industries, or industry groups. Since 1999, there have been two revisions at the sector level: MSCI MSCI Inc. is an American finance company headquartered in New York City . MSCI is a global provider of equity , fixed income , real estate indices, multi-asset portfolio analysis tools, ESG and climate products. It operates

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456-414: Is usually around 10 firms. Registered firms that issue audit reports for 100 or fewer issuers are generally inspected at least once every three years. Many of these firms are international non-U.S. firms. In addition, the PCAOB annually inspects at least 5 percent of all registered firms that play a substantial role in the audit of an issuer but that do not issue audit reports for issuers themselves. In 2011,

494-467: The MSCI World , MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) and MSCI Emerging Markets Indices among others. MSCI are the acronym of Morgan Stanley Capital International. The company is headquartered at 7 World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City , U.S. Its business primarily consists of licensing its indices to index funds ( ETF ), which pay a fee of around 0.02 to 0.04 percent of the invested volume for

532-563: The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 to oversee the audits of US-listed public companies. The PCAOB also oversees the audits of broker-dealers , including compliance reports filed pursuant to federal securities laws, to promote investor protection. All PCAOB rules and standards must be approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In creating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB),

570-677: The United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party announced an investigation into MSCI's investments in China. The committee concluded that MSCI channeled $ 3.7 billion into blacklisted entities in 2023. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ( PCAOB ) is a nonprofit corporation created by

608-587: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, William Joseph McDonough . The SEC first appointed William H. Webster to the position, a prominent lawyer and former director of both the FBI and CIA. He resigned after several weeks and prior to the board's first official meeting (as explained below). Under Section 101 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act , the PCAOB has the power to: Auditors of public companies are prohibited by

646-631: The MSCI All Country World Index fund. In December 2020, MSCI announced that it would strip its indices of seven Chinese companies in response to Executive Order 13959 . Although the A share full inclusion plan was noted by investors years ago, it still has not been realized as of 2024. In November 2022, a study by Sheffield Hallam University and Hong Kong Watch identified three major stock indices provided by MSCI that include at least 13 companies allegedly involved in forced labor and mass surveillance of Uyghurs . In August 2023,

684-559: The PCAOB was set up. In February 2006, the Free Enterprise Fund and Beckstead and Watts, LLP (a small Nevada -based accounting firm) filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the PCAOB. According to the lawsuit, the provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act establishing the PCAOB violated the " Appointments Clause " of the U.S. Constitution , since PCAOB Board members should be viewed as "officers of

722-487: The PCAOB's investigative powers, the board may require that audit firms, or any person associated with an audit firm, provide testimony or documents in its (or his or her) possession. If the firm or person refuses to provide this testimony or these documents, the PCAOB may suspend or bar that person or entity from the public audit industry. The PCAOB may also seek the SEC's assistance in issuing subpoenas for testimony or documents from individuals or entities not registered with

760-565: The PCAOB. The board's Office of the Chief Auditor advises the board on the establishment of auditing and related professional practice standards. Each of these powers is subject to approval and oversight by the SEC. Individuals and audit firms subject to PCAOB oversight may appeal PCAOB decisions (including any disciplinary actions) to the SEC and the SEC has the power to modify or overturn PCAOB rules. The PCAOB periodically issues Inspection Reports of registered public accounting firms. While

798-455: The SEC each year, is funded by fees paid by the companies and broker-dealers who rely on the audit firms overseen by the board. The organization has a staff of about 800 and offices in 11 states in addition to its headquarters in Washington. The PCAOB's current chair is Erica Y. Williams, who was sworn in on January 10, 2022, by the SEC. From 2017 to 2021, the chairman was William D. Duhnke III,

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836-756: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act required that auditors of U.S. public companies be subject to external and independent oversight for the first time in history. Previously, the profession was self-regulated. Congress vested the PCAOB with expanded oversight authority over the audits of brokers and dealers registered with the SEC in 2010 through the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act . The PCAOB has four primary functions in overseeing these auditors: registration, inspection, standard-setting and enforcement. Registered accounting firms that issue audit reports for more than 100 issuers (primarily public companies) are required to be inspected annually. This

874-473: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act to provide non-audit services, such as consulting, to their audit clients. Congress made certain exceptions for tax services, which are therefore overseen by the PCAOB. This prohibition was made as a result of allegations, in cases such as Enron and WorldCom, that auditors' independence from their clients' managers had been compromised because of the large fees that audit firms were earning from these ancillary services. In addition, as part of

912-489: The U.S. national security. In February 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported the decision was the result of pressure from the Chinese government according to people familiar with the matter. The New York Times reported that "The Chinese government long sought MSCI inclusion because it could help establish Shanghai and Shenzhen as global financial centers." MSCI chief executive and chairman Henry Fernandez stated there

950-528: The United States" because of the public purposes PCAOB serves, and, as such, must either be appointed by the president of the United States , with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate , or by the "head" of a "department", whereas PCAOB's board is appointed by the SEC, rather than by the Chairman of the SEC. The lawsuit also challenged the PCAOB as violating the Constitution's separation of powers clause, since

988-461: The audit committees of the public companies they are auditing. These are matters that are related to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements, and involved especially challenging, subjective, or complex auditor judgment. The CAMs requirement goes into effect in 2019 and 2020. Beginning in 2017, the updated auditor's report also includes the tenure of the auditor with that company. The PCAOB has five board members, including

1026-523: The audit firm for both companies, Arthur Andersen. Prior to the creation of the PCAOB, the audit profession was self-regulated through its trade group, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The AICPA's Public Oversight Board was formally dissolved on March 31, 2002, though its members had resigned en masse in January 2002 to protest then-SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt 's proposal for

1064-441: The board adopted an interim inspection program for the audits of broker-dealers, while the board considers the scope and other elements of a permanent inspection program. In 2017, auditors began filing information on the names of engagement partners and other audit firms that participate in the audits of U.S. public companies. The PCAOB created a searchable database called AuditorSearch for investors and others to know more about who

1102-402: The candidates or consulted with them on the appointment (and had previously agreed with them to appoint TIAA-CREF Chairman John Biggs as PCAOB Chairman). In one of the most contentious SEC public hearings, these two Commissioners ( Harvey Goldschmid and Roel Campos ) publicly criticized the process of the appointment (though not Webster himself). Webster nonetheless was approved by the SEC by

1140-416: The claims made by Goldschmid during the rancorous October SEC hearing was that the candidates put forward by Pitt had not been properly vetted. Goldschmid's criticisms seemed prescient, and this, combined with other pressures, led Pitt to announce his resignation from the SEC on election day (November 4, 2002). Webster himself announced his resignation from the PCAOB a week later -– less than three weeks after

1178-572: The constitutionality of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Thirteen amici , ranging from libertarian think-tanks like the Cato Institute to managers of state public-employee pension funds, filed briefs in the case. On June 28, 2010, in a five-justice majority opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts , the Supreme Court found the appointment provisions of the Act to be constitutional, but struck down

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1216-542: The domestic Chinese companies received a 5% weighting in the index. MSCI is the last major index provider to include the companies, but some investors have questioned the risk as many Chinese listed companies refuse to permit the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to inspect their financial records. The action of including Chinese stocks into MSCI EM Index also received criticism and questions from Senator Marco Rubio and some others regarding

1254-513: The organization has quasi-executive, -legislative and -judicial functions. On August 22, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the PCAOB as constitutional. The Court found that Board members are inferior officers not required to be appointed by the President, and that the President retains sufficient control of the board via the SEC that the board does not violate

1292-482: The primary benchmark indices outside of the U.S. before being joined by FTSE , Citibank , and Standard & Poor's . After Dow Jones started float weighting its index funds, MSCI followed. In 2004, MSCI acquired Barra, Inc., to form MSCI Barra. In mid-2007, parent company Morgan Stanley decided to divest MSCI. This was followed by an initial public offering of a minority of stock in November 2007. The divestment

1330-409: The separation of powers clause. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari on May 18, 2009, to consider three questions: Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board was argued on Dec. 7, 2009. In addition to the PCAOB, the United States (represented by Solicitor General Elena Kagan ) also appeared as a respondent in the case and argued separately, defending

1368-539: The use of the index. As of 2023, funds worth over 13 trillion US$ were based on MSCI indices. In 1968, Capital International published indices covering the global stock market for non-U.S. markets. In 1986, Morgan Stanley licensed the rights to the indices from Capital International and branded the indices as the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) indices. By the 1980s, the MSCI indices were

1406-515: Was "zero politics" behind the decision. In March 2019, CNBC reported that MSCI have a future plan of inclusion based on market capitalization of mainland Chinese shares in its global benchmarks, which will eventually lead to ca. 40% weights of its global emerging markets index. In April 2020, it was reported that Donald Trump was considering an executive action to prohibit the Thrift Savings Plan from transferring $ 50 billion to mirror

1444-557: Was completed in 2009. The company is headquartered in New York City. Some companies in MSCI's peer group include Glass Lewis , Factset , Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute , and S&P . In 2010 MSCI acquired RiskMetrics Group, Inc. and Measurisk. In 2012 MSCI acquired Investment Property Databank. In 2013, MSCI acquired Investor Force from ICG Group (formerly Internet Capital Group ). In August 2014, MSCI acquired GMI Ratings. In October 2019, MSCI acquired Carbon Delta,

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