Current economic factors like low bond yields, which make it quite difficult for pension plans to meet their long-term return requirements, are driving institutional investors to allocate more to alternatives, according to Jason Campbell, a principal at Eckler Ltd. “Growth in alternatives has been steady and quite significant,” he said during a Canadian Investment Review webinar on […]
Looks aren’t a solid basis on which to form a long-term relationship and neither is the surface-level appearance of a target-date fund. “In a perfect world, we would like our members to have a long-term relationship with a target-date fund we’re offering,” said Zaheed Jiwani, a principal at Eckler Ltd., at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Benefits […]
As with any new investment, there are always risks that have to be carefully weighted before proceeding. The recent failure of cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX (QX) is certainly upsetting for those who may not recover their money. QX is an exchange where individuals can buy Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies and store them in a wallet. Cryptocurrencies are […]
From the end of 2015 to the end of 2017, impact investing in Canada has grown by 81 per cent, representing $14.75 billion, according to a new report by the Responsible Investment Association. “Like any pre-teen, impact investing currently sits on the edge of youthful maturity,” said Kelly Gauthier, RIA board member and managing director of impact advisory at […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ended 2018 with a return of 4.2 per cent, beating its benchmark portfolio, which returned 2.4 per cent, and bringing the portfolio to a net asset total of $309.5 billion. “In 2018, our investment strategy was put to the test. For the first time in several years, global stock […]
The world was caught off guard when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union on June 23, 2016, since the majority of polls had predicted the opposite outcome. In the wake of the vote, the British pound fell in value relative to other currencies to levels not seen since 1985. It’s a real-time example […]
Though financial markets were volatile and bond yields dropped, Canadian defined benefit pension plans benefited from higher asset returns in November, with median solvency standing at 100.6 per cent, according to Aon’s monthly survey. Among the plans surveyed, 48 per cent were more than fully funded, down just 0.2 percentage points from the end of […]
For the first time since the Financial Services Commission of Ontario began monitoring defined benefit pension solvency in 2009, the province’s DB plans posted a median solvency ratio above 100 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. As of Sept. 30, the solvency ratio reached 101 per cent, up from 97 per cent the previous quarter. […]
Pension managers’ pooled funds posted meagre returns in the third quarter of 2018, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s performance universe. Markets were less synchronized during the latter half of 2018, leading to more mixed results than earlier in the year, noted the report, which showed a median return of 0.4 per cent before management fees. However, this […]
Real estate is more than a passing trend for global institutional investors, as evidenced by the growing number of allocations to the asset class of US$1 billion or more. The number of investors joining the billion-dollar club grew from 442 in 2017 to 499 this year, according to a new survey by data and intelligence company Preqin Ltd. Public […]