Passive investing is immensely popular, with assets in passive funds having cleared US$13 trillion, globally. But can active investors take advantage of the new landscape this is creating? Regardless of where an investor stands on the active versus passive debate, this new reality has shifted the overall market environment, revealing certain opportunities, said Ivan Cajic, […]
China’s debt problem is serious, but the risk of a hard landing or banking crisis is, in my view, low. The reason is that the potential bad debts are corporate, not household, debts and were made at the direction of the state—by state-controlled banks to state-owned enterprises, as part of a stimulus in response to […]
Traditionally, defined contribution pension funds have not made significant use of venture capital, although over the long-term these assets have tended to perform well. A study by the British Business Bank and Oliver Wyman explored whether there is room for venture capital and growth equity within the U.K.’s DC schemes. It found that the average […]
Pension funds are diversifying into alternatives in an increasingly challenging environment for returns. But many of the traditional characteristics institutional investors seek to achieve by investing in alternatives may not actually be present depending on the particular asset class, said Michael Sager, vice-president and client portfolio manager in multi-asset and currency management at CIBC Asset […]
In the current market environment, there may be good reasons for investors to consider increasing their portfolio’s allocations to cash, according to a new report by Mercer. At the end of August 2019, cash yielded more than long bonds, says Dave Makarchuk, partner and Western Canada wealth business leader at Mercer, noting Canadian 91-day treasury […]
While defined benefit plans are traditionally known for their paternalism, defined contribution pensions represent the next generation. Learning from their parents’ years of investment experience, DC plans are catching up, but hurdles still exist in the quest to invest like DB plans. The liquidity question As more DC plan sponsors consider adding illiquid alternatives to […]
Canadian institutional investors are taking on more private credit, both as a replacement for equity, as well as a tool to enhance their fixed-income allocations, said Janet Rabovsky, partner at Ellement Consulting Group in a webinar presented by the Canadian Investment Review. For pension plans in particular, the equity-like return private credit can yield, accompanied […]
In a market environment where finding returns is tough, the Employees Retirement System of Texas turned to emerging markets and alternatives to provide the pension promise, said Sharmila Kassam, deputy chief investment officer at the Employees Retirement System of Texas. The Employees Retirement System of Texas is a state pension plan that serves more than […]
In this late-cycle environment, the Hydro Québec pension plan is cautious about credit and is maintaining its liquidity, according to Jean-François Pépin, senior director of financing, treasury and pension fund at Hydro Québec. At the end of 2017, the defined benefit plan had $24.7 billion in net assets. Invested in a variety of asset classes, including […]
In this late-cycle environment, the Hydro Québec pension plan is cautious about credit and is maintaining its liquidity, says Jean-François Pépin, senior director of financing, treasury and pension fund at Hydro Québec. At the end of 2017, the defined benefit plan had $24.7 billion in net assets. Invested in a variety of asset classes, including fixed […]