David M. Blitzer

  • Chairman & Managing Director, S&P Dow Jones Indices (1995-2019)

One of the financial industry's most recognized, trusted, and sought-after thought leaders, David Blitzer served as Chairman of the S&P Dow Jones Index Committee. As the head of the committee which decides who makes it into the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P's other influential benchmarks, Blitzer is heralded for ushering in a new era in index governance over his 40 years at the S&P. His contributions to financial markets have helped countless investors, analysts, journalists, governments, and investment professionals navigate market conditions and effectively gauge the overall health of the global stock market.

Named to SmartMoney magazine's distinguished list of the 30 most influential people in the world of investing, awarded the Indexing Lifetime Achievement Award, and a recipient of the Blue Chip Economic Forecasting Award for most accurately predicting the country's leading economic indicators for four years in a row, Blitzer offers uncanny insight into financial markets and the global economy. 

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Japan ETF Conference
  • Cboe Risk Management Conference
News Interview - David Blitzer on his historic career, the Dow Jones then and now | CNBC The Exchange [2:14] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with David M. Blitzer
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What's Ahead for Global Markets

As chairman of the committee that determines the makeup of the S&P 500, David Blitzer has had profound influence on global financial markets. The most popular and widely tracked benchmark, the S&P 500 aims to include stocks that collectively reflect the U.S. economy, and subsequently represe ...

As chairman of the committee that determines the makeup of the S&P 500, David Blitzer has had profound influence on global financial markets. The most popular and widely tracked benchmark, the S&P 500 aims to include stocks that collectively reflect the U.S. economy, and subsequently represents the health of businesses across every sector and economies worldwide. In this enlightening, radically candid, and substantive talk, Blitzer reveals lessons from his decades of leadership at the S&P. He provides audiences with uncanny insight into what we can expect from global financial markets, and the overall health of the global economy. 

The Rise of Indexes and ETFs

Twenty-five years ago, no one knew what an exchange traded fund was; today ETFs own about 25% of the stock of each company in the S&P 500.  Their meteoric rise was driven by stock indexes.  As the chair of the committee that guided the S&P 500 during its period of surging growth, David Blitz ...

Twenty-five years ago, no one knew what an exchange traded fund was; today ETFs own about 25% of the stock of each company in the S&P 500.  Their meteoric rise was driven by stock indexes.  As the chair of the committee that guided the S&P 500 during its period of surging growth, David Blitzer can explain how index-based strategies came to dominate investment management and why ETFs are the tool that most investors use.  ETFs and index investing continue to out-grow and take market share from other investment approaches. Blitzer will describe recent shifts and what is the future for ETFs.

What’s Next for the Economy: Boom, Bust, Expansion or Recession

The economy is sending mixed signals. Consumers are optimistic, unemployment is the lowest in decades and inflation is non-existent, but housing is flat to down, business capital spending and industrial production are sliding and world trade is falling.  Some pundits expect the expansion to last for ...

The economy is sending mixed signals. Consumers are optimistic, unemployment is the lowest in decades and inflation is non-existent, but housing is flat to down, business capital spending and industrial production are sliding and world trade is falling.  Some pundits expect the expansion to last for another ten years while others predict a new financial crisis. David Blitzer will sort out these conflicting signs and examine Federal Reserve policy to identify which economic indicators matter and provide a picture of the economy is headed.

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Speaker News

David Blitzer forecasts the economy and global markets 

One of the financial industry's most recognized, trusted, and sought-after thought leaders, DAVID BLITZER served as Chairman of the S&P Dow Jones Index Committee. As the head of the committee which decides who makes it into the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P's other influential benchmarks, Blitzer is heralded for ushering in a new era in index governance over his 40 years at the S&P. His contributions to financial markets have helped countless investors, analysts, journalists, governments, and investment professionals navigate market conditions and effectively gauge the overall health of the global stock market. In his enlightening, radically candid, and substantive talks, Blitzer reveals lessons from his decades of leadership at the S&P. He provides audiences with uncanny insight into what we can expect from global financial markets, and the overall health of the global economy. Named to SmartMoney magazine's distinguished list of the 30 most influential people in the world of investing, awarded the Indexing Lifetime Achievement Award, and a recipient of the Blue Chip Economic Forecasting Award for most accurately predicting the country's leading economic indicators for four years in a row, Blitzer's prescient analysis is of value to businesses across industries. 

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Press & Media
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Biography

David M. Blitzer, Ph.D., served as a Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC with overall responsibility for index security selection and management. Previously he was the Chief Economist, Chief Investment Strategist and Director of Equity Research at Standard & Poor’s.

Before joining the firm, Blitzer was Corporate Economist at The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Prior to that, he was a Senior Economic Analyst at National Economic Research Associates, Inc. and did consulting work for various government and private sector agencies including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the National Commission on Materials Policy and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Blitzer won the 2012 William F. Sharpe Indexing Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of Outpacing the Pros: Using Indices to Beat Wall Street’s Savviest Money Managers, (McGraw-Hill, 2001) and What’s the Economy Trying to Tell You? Everyone’s Guide to Understanding and Profiting from the Economy, (McGraw-Hill, 1997). In 2000, he was named to SmartMoney magazine’s distinguished list of the 30 most influential people in the world of investing. In 1998 Blitzer received the Blue Chip Economic Forecasting Award as the nation’s top economist for most accurately predicting the country’s leading economic indicators for four years in a row.

Mr. Blitzer is a well-known speaker at economic, investing and indexing conferences. He is often interviewed and quoted in the local, national and international media, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg News.

Blitzer is a Graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Engineering. He received his M.A. in Economics from the George Washington University and Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University.