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Rick Bookstaber

Rick Bookstaber

Managing Director, MSCI Research

Rick Bookstaber leads risk research at MSCI. He has held the role of chief risk officer at two of the world’s largest hedge funds, Moore Capital and Bridgewater, at the investment banks Morgan Stanley and Salomon and, most recently, at the pension and endowment of the University of California. During the 2008 global financial crisis Rick served at the U.S. Treasury Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to help reformulate the oversight of the financial system. He is the author of The End of Theory and A Demon of Our Own Design. Rick holds a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Research and Insights

Articles by Rick Bookstaber

    Two Takes on the Future of Risk

    Podcast | Nov 21, 2024 | Raina Oberoi, Rick Bookstaber

    The MSCI Analytics Summit brought together senior industry experts to explore the evolving landscape of risk management. Participants, including our guests for this episode — Rick Bookstaber and Raina Oberoi — exchanged ideas on how to navigate the complex challenges and opportunities in the market, the importance of integrating a risk culture within investment teams and how best to create a role for risk where it can truly serve to aid decision-making and portfolio resilience.

    How Asset Owners Are Redefining the Total Portfolio Approach

    8 mins read Blog | Nov 12, 2024 | Henry Fernandez, Ashley Lester, Rick Bookstaber, Julia Giguere-Morello

    Attendees at the MSCI Institutional Investor Forums in the U.S. and Canada agreed that the investment megatrends they see underscore the need to centralize risk in investment decision-making, making a total portfolio approach increasingly attractive.

    Scenario Analysis: How Could a Credit Crisis Affect Portfolios?

    5 mins read Blog | Jul 25, 2024 | Rick Bookstaber, Thomas Verbraken, Dora Pribeli

    We examine a scenario for how a sudden disruption in credit markets could affect portfolios, especially given indications of the market’s fragility.  

    Fabric’s Approach to Scenarios

    Research Report | Dec 15, 2023 | Rick Bookstaber, Dhruv Sharma

    Scenarios are a way of positing the material risks that arise from the combination of events and market vulnerability. The core of understanding risk, the task of building scenarios, is not mechanical and is not trivial. It is alive as a narrative. 

    The Problem of Rebalancing Using Optimization Techniques

    Research Report | Oct 17, 2022 | Rick Bookstaber, Dhruv Sharma

    Mean-variance optimization is difficult to customize for a heterogeneous set of clients.  Modern technology can help advisers move from machine-driven optimization to guided rebalancing that respects market realities and client objectives.

    Managing Material Risk

    Research Report | Jul 1, 2022 | Rick Bookstaber, Dhruv Sharma

    Risk management for individuals and other asset owners differs from that of financial institutions. It’s time for a fresh mindset and new tools for these market participants. The authors propose measuring material risk through agent-based models.