Direct Answer
The MSCI Pacific Index is a rule-based measurement of large- and mid-cap equities across 5 developed market countries in the Pacific region, maintained by MSCI. Like every index it owns nothing: it is a number produced by applying a published weighting formula to a selected list of companies, revised on a schedule the provider sets.
What this index covers
The MSCI Pacific Index covers large- and mid-cap equities across 5 developed market countries in the Pacific region, within the Asia-Pacific market. MSCI defines which securities are eligible, how they are selected from that pool, and how much each one contributes to the published number.
The index name does not state a fixed company count, so the number of constituents follows the eligibility rules rather than a target.
How constituents are weighted
Constituents are weighted by free float-adjusted market capitalization, scaled by the Foreign Inclusion Factor. Each country index is built and maintained separately, then combined, so country weights are an outcome of each market's float-adjusted size rather than a set quota.
The weighting method is the single biggest driver of how an index behaves. Two indexes covering the same market can diverge for years purely because they weight differently, which is why comparing index levels without knowing the method tells you very little.
What qualifies for inclusion
Large and mid cap segments of the countries MSCI classifies as Developed Markets in the Pacific, which include Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. The developed liquidity bar is 20% 12-month and 3-month ATVR with 90% 3-month frequency of trading. Hong Kong Chapter 21 investment companies are not eligible for the index universe.
Eligibility rules are the part of an index most readers never look at and the part that decides what it can possibly measure. A screen that excludes a whole sector, or admits only one listing venue, shapes the result far more than any day of trading does.
How long a listing must exist first
A new issue must have started trading at least three months before a review. Existing constituents are retained at lower thresholds than new names: 12-month ATVR above 13.3%, 3-month ATVR of at least 5% and 3-month frequency of trading of at least 80%.
A seasoning rule is why a large new listing does not appear in an index the week it starts trading. It is a deliberate lag, and it means an index can under-represent a fast-growing part of the market for months at a time.
When the membership is revised
Quarterly reviews in February, May, August and November; for a February review the equity universe is fixed at the end of November, liquidity data at the end of December and prices on a day in the last ten business days of January, with the other reviews following the same pattern.
Reconstitution is the one date an index changes shape by design rather than by price. Funds tracking it have to trade toward the new membership, which is why the schedule matters to anyone holding the tracker rather than only to the provider.
The rule that surprises people
Unlike developed Europe, the Pacific countries are separate markets: each gets its own size cutoffs and its own coverage target. Only developed Europe, the Baltic states and WAEMU are aggregated into single markets for index construction.
References
- MSCI: MSCI GIMI Methodology: Index Construction Objectives, Guiding Principles and Methodology for the MSCI Global Investable Market Indexes, as published 2026. Every rule described on this page is taken from this document.
Current MSCI Pacific Index constituents
MSCI publishes and licenses the MSCI Pacific Index constituent list. Swoopr does not republish it here. The provider's own page is the authoritative source for current membership and weights.
Related reading
- All stock market indexes: how indexes are built, weighted and revised.
- Global indexes: others covering the same region.
- Index concentration: measuring how much of an index sits in its largest holdings.
- Index rebalancing and inclusion effects: what happens to a stock when index membership changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who maintains the MSCI Pacific Index?
MSCI maintains the MSCI Pacific Index and publishes the methodology document that defines its eligibility and weighting rules.
What does the MSCI Pacific Index measure?
It measures large- and mid-cap equities across 5 developed market countries in the Pacific region. The index is a calculated number applying a weighting formula to a selected list of companies, and it holds nothing itself.
Where can I see the current MSCI Pacific Index constituents?
MSCI publishes the current constituent list. Swoopr does not republish it, because index providers license constituent data and Swoopr holds no such licence.