In the early days of 2020, no one could have foreseen the social and economic havoc the coronavirus pandemic would wreak on the world. Nearly two years later, as markets and economies continue to recover, Canadian pension plan sponsors are looking to their money managers to help light the way to a brighter financial future. […]
When the coronavirus pandemic shook up the investment landscape last spring, Canadian pension funds were also jostled by the shock wave, with the Alberta Investment Management Corp. and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System among the hardest hit. And while the pandemic was an unprecedented event, such losses have raised the issue of whether Canadian pension […]
The Canadian Investment Review’s Risk Management Award will go to a pension plan that has successfully implemented a robust approach to its risk management function. This can include implementing de-risking or re-risking or it can showcase day-to-day processes in place for risk management in pension plan investments. Highlights about the three finalists are available below: […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp.’s board of directors has completed its review of a volatility trading strategy, known as VOLTS, that resulted in $2.1 billion in losses in the wake of the coronavirus crash. While the strategy would have been expected to generate some losses in periods of market volatility, the losses were far greater […]
When the coronavirus pushed equity markets off a cliff, Canadian defined benefit pension plans had to mobilize to address a number of concerns. The Canadian National Railway Co. pension recently shifted towards a more defensive investment strategy, said Marlene Puffer, president and chief executive officer for the CN investment division of the company, at a […]
MSCI Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with the Hong Kong Futures Exchange Ltd. to introduce 37 futures and options contracts in Hong Kong based on a suite of indexes in Asia and emerging markets. The agreement expands on MSCI’s relationship with the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd., or HKEX, the owner of the […]
While many organizations are grappling with how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their investment or back-office processes, the Alberta Investment Management Corp. has found a way to do it that’s scalable and has potential for commercialization. The AIMCo started down this journey because it realized that if it didn’t adopt AI and machine learning, it […]
By looking at what went wrong with financial innovations of the past, investors can learn how to protect themselves and look for opportunities going forward, said James Weatherall, professor of logic and the philosophy of science at the University of California, Irvine, speaking at Canadian Investment Review‘s 2019 Investment Innovation Conference in November. As an […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities has released an update on pension plans using leverage. “What makes it of particular interest to pension regulators now, is that it is being used more commonly and more intensively by pension plans, principally as a component of investment strategies aimed at achieving better asset-liability matching (through higher […]
How a derivatives overlay helped Newfoundland and Labrador