Jan 28 (Reuters) - Index provider MSCI ( MSCI ) reported

a rise in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, as robust client

spending boosted demand for its index products and analytics

services.

Amid consistent volatility ‌from U.S. tariffs, geopolitics,

and macroeconomic jitters, investors sought index products ​and

risk analytics as they rejigged their portfolios.

MSCI's ( MSCI ) ‍stock market indices serve as benchmarks ⁠for

trillions of ⁠dollars in assets held by investment funds, pension

plans, and ‌asset managers to measure ​performance and guide

investment decisions.

Its results provide insight into demand for market data and

index-based ⁠investing, a diversified ‍and low-cost ​strategy that

has become interestingly popular across all investor classes.

The data provider posted an adjusted ‍profit of $4.66 per

share for the quarter ended December 31, compared with $4.18 per

share, a year earlier.

"In the fourth quarter, MSCI ( MSCI ) delivered strong results, while

achieving a number of key milestones, ​including ‍our 11th

straight year of double-digit adjusted EPS growth," MSCI ( MSCI )

Chairman and CEO Henry Fernandez said ​in a statement.

Asset-based fees in its index segment rose 20.7% in the

December quarter to $211.7 million from a year earlier, driven

by rising average assets under management linked to MSCI's ( MSCI )

indices.

This pushed the company's total ​operating revenue 10.6%

higher to $822.5 million.

Operating expenses also increased, about 6.1%, as the

company spent more on employee compensation and information

technology.

(Reporting ‍by Ateev Bhandari in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini

Ganguli)