He listens to Christmas wishes, answers questions about the North Pole, Mrs. Claus and his elves and patiently takes pictures with cranky children and wailing babies. And he does it all with cheer. Santa Claus is coming to town, but the truth is, he ain’t free. In Canada, people working as Santa Claus can earn […]
With the new year almost here, there are some interdependent themes investors should watch, such as central banks tightening policy, trade tensions and an increased focus on sustainability according to Mercer’s most recent paper on themes and opportunities for 2019. Chance of ‘white water’ turbulence There is evidence that credit is overextended, the paper said, […]
Heading into the new year, Mercer is cautiously optimistic about emerging market equity and debt and expects emerging market assets to outperform over the medium term, according to its economic outlook for 2019 and beyond. Equities 2018 was a year of exceptionalism for U.S. equities, however this was particularly for the first three quarters as […]
As the traditional workforce evolves and the era of the 25-year career with a single company comes to an end, the contract employee is likely here to stay. While it’s a worldwide phenomenon, gig workers now comprise a good portion of Canada’s working population. Some 2.2 million Canadians were categorized as temporary employees in September […]
As the traditional workforce evolves and the era of the 25-year career with a single company comes to an end, the contract employee is likely here to stay. While it’s a worldwide phenomenon, gig workers now comprise a good portion of Canada’s working population. Some 2.2 million Canadians were categorized as temporary employees in September […]
While no one can know for certain if inflation is coming bank, David Zanutto, senior investment consultant at Mercer, says that the risks of inflation moving higher have increased. He points particularly to low levels of unemployment, which could translate to wage growth and higher inflation. Other factors that could lead to higher inflation include […]
U.S.-based brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is acquiring Canadian benefits, retirement and compensation consulting firm Accompass Inc. The acquisition will provided the Toronto-based consultancy with Gallagher’s tools and resources, noted a press release. For Gallagher, the move will facilitate the expansion of its business capabilities in Canada. Sarah Beech, president of Accompass, will continue to lead the Accompass team. […]
In its 2018 budget, the federal government created an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare, led by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins. The council, which solicited submissions from Canadians between June and September, is expected to release its final report in the spring. Whatever the report recommends, Canada is closer to a […]
Increasing exposure to less liquid, alternative assets like infrastructure, real estate and private equity hasn’t created difficulty for Canadian pensions in repaying creditors, according to a report by Moody’s Corp. As pension portfolios have increased their allocations to alternatives, with these assets now making up close to 40 per cent of Canadian plan’s investments, concerns around liquidity […]
Increasing exposure to less liquid, alternative assets like infrastructure, real estate and private equity hasn’t created difficulty for Canadian pensions in repaying creditors, according to a report by Moody’s Corp. As pension portfolios have increased their allocations to alternatives, with these assets now making up close to 40 per cent of Canadian plan’s investments, concerns around liquidity […]