The vast majority of investors (82 per cent) are satisfied with how their portfolios performed in the first half of 2020, despite some weak results in strategies such as emerging market debt and smart beta, according to a new study of 368 investors with combined assets of approximately US$11 trillion. Following the quickest equity market […]
While the coronavirus crisis is impacting many real assets, people still require food and therefore still require farmland. The asset class is a stable one and a long-term diversifier, says Bernice Miedzinski, president of StarBridge Capital Ltd., noting the current low-interest rate environment is challenging. “Even thinking about a plain vanilla strategy, investing in Canadian […]
China’s V-shaped economic recovery continued for a fourth consecutive month in June, led by strong domestic demand. And if the novel coronavirus remains under control, China can remain the world’s best consumer story. In China, consumer spending came back with force. Inflation-adjusted retail sales plummeted to a 23.7 per cent year-over-year decline in January and […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec says the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in posting a negative return of 2.3 per cent during the first six months of 2020. The pension fund manager’s net assets stood at $333 billion as of June 30, down from $340.1 billion as of Dec. 31, […]
In the wake of the coronavirus fallout, real estate, infrastructure and private debt investors seem to be zeroing in on well-established managers, according to Preqin Ltd. data for the second quarter of 2020. With no surprise, real estate saw a challenging second quarter with a decline in activity in funds closing compared to the first […]
Private equity fundraising slowed in the second quarter of 2020, reaching only US$116 billion, its lowest quarterly point since the first quarter of 2018, according to Preqin’s quarterly private equity report. Further, private equity funds are taking longer to reach targets than last year. Only 39 per cent of funds that closed in the first […]
While factor behaviour tends to be consistent in market crashes and corrections, individual factor performance varies over the medium term. As such, institutional investors should maintain diversified exposure across key equity factors including value, quality, momentum, size and low volatility, according to a new paper by Mercer. The paper explored the past three financial crises: […]
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday that the viral epidemic is endangering the modest economic recovery that followed a collapse in hiring and spending this spring. As a result, he said, the Fed plans to keep interest rates pinned near zero well into the future. That faltering economy, pressured by a resurgence of the […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans recovered some of their losses from the start of 2020 in the second quarter off the back of strong public equity gains, according to the Northern Trust Canada universe. With stimulus spending to tackle the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic taking effect in many countries, stock markets rebounded with […]
The economic outlook of U.S. business economists has improved over the past three months, though their sunnier view may be jeopardized by the resurgence of the coronavirus. A survey released Monday by the National Association for Business Economics finds a “significant snap-back in expectations from the depths reached across nearly all categories in April,” according […]