Ontario’s defined benefit pension plans reached a median pension solvency ratio of 124 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a new report by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. It noted the result was unchanged from the record high achieved in the previous quarter and represented an uptick from the […]
The Bank of Canada is facing an increasingly uncertain 2026 despite experts agreeing on its current policy path. Etienne Bordeleau-Labrecque, vice-president and portfolio manager at Ninepoint Partners, says the bank is in a good position at the start of the year. “They’ve cut to the low end of what they consider the neutral rate, and […]
After a year of steady performance, fixed income markets could kick off 2026 with concerns from a macroeconomic standpoint, says Steve Locke, chief investment officer of fixed income and multi-asset strategies at Mackenzie Investments. “We’re seeing some fiscal and GDP tailwinds that are going to start to form fairly early in the new year. In […]
A decision by the Bank of Canada to hold its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 per cent could magnify the interest of corporate pension funds to pursue de-risking strategies, says Soami Kohly, fixed income portfolio manager at MFS Investment Management. “We’ve seen [institutional investors] that have been de-risking their portfolio — in other words, […]
Amid all of the Canadian industries impacted by tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeting the production of aluminum shows a misunderstanding of the industry, said Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Plan Summit on Feb. 28. “Frankly, not to […]
Canadian government bond yields declined further in February based on the impact to growth from tariff policy from the U.S. on Canadian exports materializing, according to a new report from FTSE Russell. Tariff risk is weighing down the entire Canadian segment including government bonds and Canadian credit. However, the risk that reciprocal tariffs may push […]
The Bank of Canada will require another year of its rate-cutting cycle to absorb the number of resources in the economy that aren’t being used so it can raise interest rates back to a neutral 2.75 per cent position, according to Katherine Judge, director and senior economist of capital markets at CIBC. Delivering the keynote session […]
While Canada needs an additional 5.8 million housing units by 2030 to restore affordability in the marketplace, the country only averages about 200,000 new housing completions per year, said Aaron Pittman, senior vice-president and head of Canadian institutional investments at Equiton. “From concept to occupancy in Canada, on the residential build side, you’re looking at […]
Canadian spending per household trends show the country’s economy is experiencing a recession, said Stephen Poloz, former governor at the Bank of Canada and a special advisor at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Investment Innovation Conference. Consumer spending numbers have declined around two per cent for […]
Expected economic headwinds in Canada won’t prevent strong results from equities and fixed income in 2025, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada. Canadian equities will be supported by strong earnings growth expectations and a valuation that isn’t “terribly extended,” compared to the U.S. equity market, said the report. For its […]