stocks – Benefits Canada.com

A path forward for institutional investors amid market headwinds

mschmit — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 04:02:24 +0000

The impact of powerful trends, including aging populations and growing debt levels in the world’s largest economies, has been somewhat mitigated in recent years by the ongoing involvement of central banks in markets and declining interest rates. However, with rates at historic lows, this is not something that can be relied on over the next […]

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DC plan member education increasingly important: report

mschmit — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 04:38:52 +0000

Defined contribution plan members saw a bounce-back in equity markets in the second quarter of 2020, boosting their gross income replacement ratios from the lows of the first quarter, according to Eckler Ltd.’s latest capital accumulation plan income tracker report. A typical male DC plan member retiring at age 65 at the end of June […]

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Canadian equities were worst hit asset type for fund managers in Q1, report says

mschmit — Wed, 06 May 2020 06:21:24 +0000

Canadian equities were the worst performing traditional asset category in the first quarter, according to a report that sizes up the financial impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic and concurrent decline in world oil prices during the first three months of 2020. The CIBC Mellon report says Canadian equities had a first-quarter median return of […]

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PRI makes recommendations on responsible investing during the coronavirus pandemic

mschmit — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 05:11:22 +0000

When the dust settles from the coronavirus pandemic, what environmental, social and governance lessons will shine through? A recent blog post by Fiona Reynolds, chief executive officer of the Principles for Responsible Investment, pointed to differences between this crisis and the crisis of 2008. “While there are certainly parallels with the global financial crisis just […]

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Canadian DB funds generate second-highest returns in a decade: RBC

mschmit — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 04:33:17 +0000

Canadian defined benefit pension plans posted a return of 14 per cent in 2019, according to the RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe. These double-digit returns were the second highest for DB plans in the past decade, bolstered by a surge in equity markets both domestically and around the world. “Over the past 10 years, […]

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Easing trade tensions bode well for emerging market stocks

mschmit — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 11:09:50 +0000

Several factors are pointing to a possible rebound in emerging market stocks this year. Stocks in China and other developing economies notched solid gains in 2019, but lagged the blockbuster market returns delivered by publicly traded companies in the U.S. and other developed economies. The U.S.-China trade war and signs of slowing global economic growth […]

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Finding opportunity in hidden bear markets

mschmit — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 04:44:41 +0000

Global shares, represented by the MSCI world index, ended 2019 at an all-time high. Their robust 9.5 per cent per annum return during the 2010s may come as little surprise given both the starting point, which coincided with the aftermath of the global financial crisis and the extraordinary efforts by central banks to prop up […]

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Shareholder environmental activism showing results without compromising returns: study

mschmit — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 04:18:36 +0000

Shareholder environmental activism has been growing in popularity with institutional investors, but is it working? The New York City pension system implemented a boardroom accountability project in 2014, with the intent of improving the sustainability characteristics of its portfolio companies. And, according to a new paper, results show firms targeted by the boardroom accountability project’s […]

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After ebullient 2019, Wall Street warns of slower road ahead

mschmit — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 05:08:02 +0000

After a year of nirvana, investors may need to get ready for something a little more normal. Markets are coming off a fabulous 2019, where stocks and bonds around the world climbed in concert. But for the next year, and decade, in fact, Wall Street is telling investors to set their expectations considerably lower. It’s […]

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MSCI boosts China A shares as planned in semi-annual index review

mschmit — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 04:56:43 +0000

In its November, semi-annual index review, MSCI Inc., implemented the third increase in a series of planned increases to China A shares within its emerging markets indexes. Within its China index specifically, MSCI will be adding 204 new constituents, mostly mid-cap companies. The inclusion factor of the existing shares will also be increased. China A […]

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