Name: Build Smarter Reports, Faster: Custom Reporting at Scale with Morningstar Direct
Start: 2026-01-20T15:00:00Z
End: 2026-01-20T15:00:30.000Z
Location: BrightTALK

Independent investment research and analysis. Discover timely investment insights in the Asia–Pacific region. Our webinars cover industry trends, portfolio management tools, and more in English and Japanese. 

US stocks are trading at a slight discount to our fair value, yet, we suspect 2026 may experience even greater volatility than 2025. 

Ever since ChatGPT launched the first salvo in the artificial intelligence arms race, stock market returns have been especially concentrated in those stocks most closely tied to the build out boom. With high market multiples predicated on especially high future earnings growth forecasts, any deviation to current market forecasts could send markets reeling. Yet, we can also envision that our current base may understate the amount of growth and efficiencies generated by AI. Furthermore, trade negotiations may have subsided for now, but we suspect they will return to the forefront in 2026. In a world of high valuations and potential for high volatility, we think portfolio positioning is even more important than ever.   

Join Morningstar’s Dave Sekera, CFA and Preston Caldwell as they review Morningstar’s current market valuation, why we expect the economy will re-accelerate in the second half of 2026, and which areas in the market still offer upside opportunities.

Learn where we see undervalued opportunities to overweight, what areas to underweight, and how we expect the US economy will play out over the course of this year. We will:
• Break down our valuations and identify undervalued opportunities across categories, sectors, and stocks. 
• Highlight long-term secular growth themes as well as investable contrarian plays. 
• Provide our forecasts for real US GDP, inflation, and interest rates.

In our market outlook, we utilize a bottom-up perspective to determine market valuation. By leveraging off of the 1,600 companies covered by Morningstar's equity analysts, we identify which areas are undervalued versus which are overvalued. From growth stocks to value stocks and from small-cap to large-cap, we will identify where we see value today. Following the presentation, we take as many questions from the audience as time allows.

Morningstar's Q1 2026 US Market Outlook - High Valuations, Higher Stakes: Expecting a Volatile 2026

As the markets enter the new year, the challenges that 2025 faced are still relevant today: tariffs, interest rates, and geopolitics, and these challenges—and undoubtedly others—are likely to keep pressuring the markets into 2026. Trade tensions and tariffs remain a real threat to the market, despite the US and China reaching a trade deal, as do interest rates and inflation. What’s uncertain about 2026 is whether AI will have a positive or negative influence on the market and whether the AI boom is over. There are a lot of outcomes that could happen in the year ahead, but even amid volatility, not all hope is lost for investors finding sound investments. 

Join Morningstar’s Lorraine Tan, Director of Equity Research, Asia, Chelsey Tam, Senior Equity Analyst, Equity Research, Germaine Share, Director, Manager Research, Asia, and Hunter Beaudoin, Analyst, Manager Research, Asia, for their analysis of the markets and where investment opportunities exist across asset classes. 

In this webinar, we will: 
- Examine key themes and recent performance across the Asian stock market 
- Explore the role AI may play for stocks this year and what investors should consider when investing in AI-related investments 
- Highlight which trends are shaping Asian portfolio managers’ strategies in 2026 
- Dive into up-and-coming fund strategies that have caught our attention

Morningstar’s Q1 2026 Asia Investment Outlook: Finding Value in the New Year

Morningstar is committed to increasing transparency, explainability, and confidence in our Medalist Ratings. Join us for an in-depth webinar where we’ll introduce our simplified approach to ratings and methodology. 

This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the changes, including: 
• Transparent Pillars: Quant-driven fundamental pillars (People, Process, Parent) will now include greater visibility into the underlying inputs — including new metrics like Fund Manager Successful Experience*— so investors can better understand how a Medalist Rating is determined. There will continue to be a delineation between pillar ratings that come from an analyst or algorithm.  
• Simplified Structure: Funds are evaluated against their Morningstar Category average rather than a benchmark, enabling investors to more easily identify Medalist options within a category and make meaningful peer comparisons.  
• New Price Score: A Morningstar Medalist Rating Price Score from –2.5 to 2.5 will explicitly reflect whether an investment’s fee is a liability or competitive advantage, subtracting from or adding to the overall rating.  
• Fixed Rating Thresholds: Medalist Ratings will be determined by a simple combination of fundamental pillar ratings and a Medalist Rating Price Score, increasing stability by eliminating a forced distribution of ratings that caused ratings to change based on updates to other funds.  

*Fund Manager Successful Experience: Tenure-weighted average of the successful manager experience values for the managers listed on the fund. The successful manager experience value for each manager is the total number of months over the past 10 years in which a manager achieved a positive gross-of-fee excess return over the category index, minus the number of months with negative ones.

Discover the Future of Morningstar’s Medalist Ratings

For investment teams, year-end reporting isn’t just a routine—it’s a high-stakes opportunity to deliver clarity, value, and trust. But behind the scenes, many firms face common challenges: data overload, tight timelines, and rising expectations for personalization and transparency. 

In this webinar, Morningstar’s Customer Success Managers share first-hand insights from their conversations with asset and wealth management clients. They'll highlight the most common pain points around year-end reporting and demonstrate how Morningstar Direct is helping teams streamline workflows, enhance personalization, and deliver reports that resonate with clients and stakeholders. 

What you’ll learn: 
- The top challenges investment teams face during year-end reporting 
- How to craft compelling narratives using high-quality data 
- Where automation and personalization intersect in reporting workflows 
- How Morningstar Direct helps streamline reporting and elevate client communications 

Whether you're looking to improve efficiency, elevate your client experience, or reduce reporting friction, this session will provide practical strategies and tools to help your team close the year strong.

From Data to Decisions: Best Practices for Year-End Investment Reporting

Presented by Robert Edwards, CFA (Managing Director, Indexes, EMEA Morningstar), Emily Zheng (Sr. Analyst, Venture, PitchBook), Andreas Bezner, CFA (Co-founder and CEO, Stableton) 
 
As private markets evolve, more and more investors are seeking structured and scalable ways to access high-growth private technology companies. However, for most investors, investing in private markets is still a mystery. Join our webinar featuring experts from Morningstar Indexes, PitchBook, and Stableton, a leading institutional investor in private markets, as they discuss the latest trends in secondary markets and demystify common questions about private market investing.  
 
We’ll cover:  
 
First, you’ll explore Morningstar’s innovative approach to indexing private markets, including a look at Morningstar’s range of Private Market Indexes, including our Modern Market 100 Index, the first benchmark to track both public leaders and late-stage, venture-backed innovators like SpaceX and OpenAI. 
 
Next, PitchBook will share their latest research with a dynamic deep dive into the rapidly growing venture secondaries space 
 
To wrap up, you’ll hear from the co-founder of Stableton in a fireside chat. With more than 100 venture-market transactions behind him, Andreas will break down how private-market trading works and explain how his team is making passive investing accessible in a space once reserved for insiders.

Navigating Private Markets: Indexing, Intelligence & Infrastructure

As 2026 approaches, investors face rising protectionism, geopolitical fragmentation, and market instability. In this Investors First webinar, CEO Kunal Kapoor will be joined by Morningstar's global market strategists to explore the trends shaping portfolios in the year ahead and discuss insights from the new Morningstar 2026 Market Outlook report.

They’ll cover:
- Building resilient portfolios in an unpredictable market
- Navigating concentration risk from mega-cap techs
- Finding long-term value beyond headline names
-  Emerging policy shifts and their industry impact

Investors First: 2026 Market Outlook

In an ever-evolving financial landscape, asset managers face numerous challenges—from inflation and interest rate movements to geopolitical tensions and technological disruptions. Join us for an insightful webinar where Morningstar’s Joseph Agostinelli, Senior Director of Market Research, and Ben Johnson, Head of Client Solutions for Asset Management, dive into the latest findings from our “Voice of the Asset Manager” survey. 

What you’ll get from the webinar: 
- Comprehensive analysis of top concerns for asset managers, compared against to investor and advisor sentiments 
- Top strategies for overcoming fee compression and maintaining operational efficiency 
- Actionable insights on adapting to technological innovations and regulatory changes 

Take this opportunity to equip yourself with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate today’s market complexities.

Navigating Market Challenges: Insights and Strategies for Asset Managers

Controversies can be costly—not just financially, but also in terms of reputation, stakeholder trust, and long-term impact. Yet, many organizations and investors struggle to assess the true materiality of these events, leaving them vulnerable to unforeseen risks.

Join us for an exclusive APAC edition of this webinar where we’ll dive into the complexities of controversies research and the recent enhancements Morningstar Sustainalytics rolled out to provide actionable strategies to identify ESG controversies.

Our experts will cover:
- Evidence of Costly Controversies: Real-world examples that highlight the duality of financial risks and impact.
- Risk Factors and Assessments: How to identify and evaluate potential risks before they escalate.
- Financial Materiality of Events: Understanding the costs of controversies.
- Impact on Stakeholders: Exploring the scale, scope, and remediation elements.
- Customizing Risk Thresholds: Learn how to select the relevant risk and impact signals using our solution.

This webinar addresses key challenges in navigating controversies, from unclear financial materiality and risk assessment difficulties to aligning impact thresholds with organizational goals. Gain actionable insights to proactively manage risks and safeguard your reputation and bottom line.

Register now to gain actionable insights!

[APAC Edition] Controversy Ratings in the Age of Double Materiality

Controversies can be costly—not just financially, but also in terms of reputation, stakeholder trust, and long-term impact. Yet, many organizations and investors struggle to assess the true materiality of these events, leaving them vulnerable to unforeseen risks.

Join us for an insightful webinar where we’ll dive into the complexities of controversies research and the recent enhancements Morningstar Sustainalytics rolled out to provide actionable strategies to identify ESG controversies.

Our experts will cover: 
- Evidence of Costly Controversies: Real-world examples that highlight the duality of financial risks and impact. 
- Risk Factors and Assessments: How to identify and evaluate potential risks before they escalate. 
- Financial Materiality of Events: Understanding the costs of controversies. 
- Impact on Stakeholders: Exploring the scale, scope, and remediation elements. 
- Customizing Risk Thresholds: Learn how to select the relevant risk and impact signals using our solution. 

This webinar addresses key challenges in navigating controversies, from unclear financial materiality and risk assessment difficulties to aligning impact thresholds with organizational goals. Gain actionable insights to proactively manage risks and safeguard your reputation and bottom line.  

Register now to gain actionable insights!

Controversy Ratings in the Age of Double Materiality

Throughout 2025, market uncertainty has remained the headline for investors—and the lingering question is figuring out when the markets will normalize again. Tariff implementations and global trade negotiations have caused the market to dip, then bounce back, and now relatively stay within a healthy margin of last quarter’s recovery. While the lack of wild market movement this past quarter is encouraging, it may be too premature to say the market is stabilizing. The tariff deadline between the US and China has continued to be extended, which persists the risks Asian markets face until a trade deal is achieved. 

How should investors navigate the turbulent market in the meantime, and where can they find success? 

Join Morningstar’s Kai Wang, Asia Equity Market Strategist, Chesley Tam, Senior Equity Analyst, Equity Research, Rachel Sun, Director, Manager Research, China, and Sam Hui, Analyst, Manager Research, for an overview of where the markets stand and investment spotlights across various asset classes.  

In this webinar, we will: 
- Break down this past quarter’s Asian stock valuations and undervalued opportunities across categories, sectors, and stocks 
- Dive into Alibaba, its relationship to AI, and the opportunity we believe it has for investors’ portfolios
- Highlight the performance of active vs. passive funds in China’s fund market and lessons investors can use when investing in different fund groups 
- Explore our latest model portfolio recommendations for investors to build a well-diversified, multi-asset portfolio

Morningstar’s Q4 2025 Asia Investment Outlook: Adapting to Prolonged Market Volatility

As private markets grow and companies stay private longer, traditional benchmarks no longer capture the full investment landscape. That’s why Morningstar created the US Modern Market 100 Index—the first benchmark to combine the largest U.S. public companies with late-stage venture-backed leaders into a single index. 
 
Join CEO Kunal Kapoor and other Morningstar experts for the next episode in the Investors First webinar series to learn how this innovative index bridges the gap between public and private markets.

Investors First: Benchmarking the Modern Market

The US stock market has become increasingly concentrated as only 10 stocks account for over one-third of total market capitalization. Yet not only is the market becoming ever more concentrated, seven of those stocks accounted for over 55% of the market return this year and each are tied to growth in artificial intelligence. More than ever, the stock market is tied to one theme—artificial intelligence.

The stock market is hitting new highs and is now trading at a level that is equal to a composite of our fair values. Valuations on AI stocks incorporate heady demand growth for artificial intelligence over the next five years. Without any margin of safety from our intrinsic valuations, there is no room for error for AI stocks to perform in line with base case expectations. In a market priced for perfection, is there anything left that’s undervalued?

Join Morningstar’s Dave Sekera, CFA, Chief US Market Strategist and Preston Caldwell, Chief US Economist as they review market valuations in light of AI dynamics, trade & tariff negotiations, slowing rate of economic growth, and our expectations for monetary policy. We will review valuations across styles, sectors, and stocks to identify those areas we think investors should be positioned to benefit from where undervaluation remains and underweight those areas that have become overextended.

We'll:
• Break down our valuations and identify undervalued opportunities across styles, sectors, and stocks.
• Provide our forecasts for real US GDP, inflation, and interest rates.

In our market outlook, we utilize a bottom-up perspective to determine market valuation. By leveraging the over 1,600 companies covered by Morningstar's equity analysts, we identify which areas are undervalued versus which are overvalued. From growth stocks to value stocks and from small-cap to large-cap, we identify where we see value today. Following the presentation, we take as many questions from the audience as time allows.

Morningstar's Q4 2025 US Market Outlook - No Margin for Error: Stocks Fully Valued

As private investments become increasingly accessible and semiliquid funds approach $350 billion in net assets, investment professionals need sophisticated tools to analyze these complex instruments alongside traditional holdings.

Join us to see how Morningstar Direct's latest enhancements enable you to see your entire portfolio more clearly than ever before. 

In this session you will: 

- Learn more about the convergence of public and private markets and its impact on investment strategies.  
- Discover unified portfolio analysis tools for public and private investments.  
- Gain insights into future trends in market integration. 
- Learn about Morningstar Direct's expanded semiliquid and private capital fund data, powered by PitchBook.

What’s Next in Public and Private Markets: Insights & Semiliquid Coverage in Morningstar Direct

The effect of fees on performance goes to the heart of the debate about active or passive. Join the analysts behind the Morningstar European Active/Passive Barometer and the newly launched European Fund Fee Study for an overview of how different management styles fare in various categories. Furthermore, our regulatory expert speaker will dive into the latest updates on fee regulation and the implications for investors.  
 
Our speakers will discuss:   
- Short- and long-term active and passive management trends.  
- Trends in fees and how these affect active managers' success rates.   
- How Morningstar analysts establish benchmarks for active managers.

Active and Passive Investing - The Power of Fees

Discover key insights from Morningstar's latest research on gold's role in portfolio construction.

Join Sam Hui, Senior Analyst, Manager Research, and Kristopher Leung, Manager, Customer Success, Asia, for an exclusive webinar exploring gold's potential in modern portfolios.

What you'll learn:
- Key findings from our "Going for Gold" research report
- How gold impacts portfolio risk and returns across different allocation strategies
- Demonstration of Morningstar Direct's asset allocation workflow
- Practical insights for optimising portfolio construction

This 45-minute session includes expert analysis, practical demonstrations, and a live Q&A.

Direct in Action: Going for Gold

With growing investor interest in private assets and alternative investment strategies, Bryan Armour, Morningstar's Director of ETF & Passive Strategies, joins Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor to discuss the firm’s new Medalist Rating for semiliquid funds. They’ll explore how Morningstar is evaluating vehicles with private asset exposure, such as interval funds, non-traded REITs, and BDCs, and what investors should know about the first funds to receive the rating.

Investors First: Inside Morningstar’s Semiliquid Fund Ratings

As clients have observed this year, the increasing overlap between public and private markets has generated more questions and complexities as well as opportunities. To enhance transparency and due diligence in private markets, Morningstar has launched the first Morningstar Medalist Rating™ for Semiliquid Funds for Interval Funds based in the U.S. These strategies are evaluated using a fully qualitative approach, with coverage determined by Morningstar’s analyst teams based on investment merit, investor demand, and client interest.

In this live webinar, Bryan Armour, Director of ETF & Passive Strategies, and Tom Nations, Director of Research Products, will discuss the ratings landscape and methodology used to evaluate this growing space as well as where the new ratings can be found within products on the Direct Platform and how clients can incorporate them into their workflows.

What you’ll learn: 
- How to use the ratings to identify strategies expected to outperform relevant public market benchmarks, private market indexes, and peer groups over the long term, as well as to highlight strategies likely to underperform. 
- How to assess a strategy’s suitability for an investor’s goals, liquidity needs, and risk profile. 
- Key contextual factors, including fees, manager tenure, asset size, and investment approach. 
- How to monitor ongoing changes in strategies that may significantly impact performance or alignment with investor expectations. 

This session is designed for clients navigating the evolving investment landscape and looking to benefit from our insights into how Morningstar evaluates semiliquid funds today. Register today.

The First of its Kind: The Morningstar Medalist Rating for Interval Funds

Efficient performance reporting is essential for effective due diligence. Join us for a live session to explore how Morningstar Direct’s performance reporting capabilities can help you surface key insights faster, simplify complex workflows, and improve team-wide efficiency.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to:

• Navigate Morningstar Direct’s Performance Reporting tool
• Leverage its advanced functionality to build more impactful reports
• Analyze, format, and automate performance reports with ease

We’ll also showcase how Presentation Studio, a powerful module within Morningstar Direct, enables you to design visually striking, professional-grade reports.

Discover how to use Performance Reporting in Morningstar Direct can help you build custom reports at scale. Our expert speakers will share practical tips to help refine your processes and speed up your reporting efforts.

Build Smarter Reports, Faster: Custom Reporting at Scale with Morningstar Direct

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Build Smarter Reports, Faster: Custom Reporting at Scale with Morningstar Direct

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