A story on how group insurers can help plan sponsors provide adequate coverage and ensure appropriate use of treatments for rare diseases was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Sounding Board: How employers can mitigate cost of […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board earned an eight per cent return last year but significantly underperformed the 19.9 per cent return of its reference portfolio. The lower return can be explained in part by higher volatility in the stock-focused benchmark portfolio compared with the diversified, long-term return focus for the pension fund, says John Graham, the […]
Data centres are becoming an important asset for institutional investors seeking to diversify their real estate portfolios. The data centre asset class was valued at an estimated US$301.8 billion as of 2023, according to researcher P&S Intelligence, which also noted the value is expected to increase to US$622.4 billion by the end of 2030. Indeed, […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is reporting a net return of 7.2 per cent for 2023, with net assets increasing to $434 billion. The investment organization’s year-end report said public equities returned 17.7 per cent in 2023, driven by large U.S. technology stocks as well as growth stocks and the Caisse’s large […]
As global markets navigate turbulent economic waters, active management is proving once again to be a lifeline for institutional investors to ensure their portfolios ride out the storm. Pension funds are currently operating amid uncertainty and potential risk, says Ruslan Goyenko, an associate professor of finance at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. “There are […]
A joint venture that saw the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Blackstone Inc. acquire a 20 per cent stake in a senior mortgage loan portfolio from the failed Signature Bank for US$1.2 billion was the biggest mergers and acquisitions transaction in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a report by S&P Global Market Intelligence. […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is considering the sale of LifeLabs Inc., according to a report by The Globe and Mail. A spokesperson for the infrastructure arm of the OMERS said the investment organization has held preliminary negotiation talks with “multiple potential buyers” but is currently not in any late-stage discussions. The report said […]
After two years of underperformance, global real estate investment trusts are expected to outperform in 2024 due to a decline of supply and resilient corporate valuations, according to a new report from Hazelview Investments. It found global REITs saw a turnaround rally of 18.9 per cent over the last two months of 2023, leading the […]
Climate and cybersecurity are the leading risk factors concerning Canadian pension plan administrators, according to a pension lawyer. Susan G. Seller, a pension and benefits lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP, adds third-party arrangements and commercial real estate risks round out the most pressing categories for federally regulated pension plans. “We’re living in a time where […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing in Vooban, a Quebec-based supplier of applied artificial intelligence services. The investment will aid Vooban’s growth through expansion plans in Ontario and the U.S, according to a press release, which noted the company currently has 135 employees, but is planning to expand by 30 per cent. The […]