The funded status of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan increased on both a solvency and accounting basis during the month of December, according to a new report by Telus Health. The monthly pension index revealed the typical DB plan grew slightly from 107.4 per cent in November to 109 per cent on the […]
With global trade wars, environmental, social, and governance pushback and artificial intelligence advances, 2025 was a roller-coaster year for institutional investors. Unfortunately, 2026 is shaping up to be another year marked by high uncertainty. Here are three priorities for pension leaders to keep in mind as they steer their organizations through turbulent waters. Read: Uncertain […]
The University Pension Plan Ontario is creating a joint venture with Schroders Capital to invest in high-quality logistics and industrial real estate across northwestern Europe. The new partnership will have a shared focus on long-term value creation and embedding material environmental, social and governance considerations into asset management, according to a press release. “The partnership […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan returned 0.6 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 4.4 per cent in the previous quarter, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada Investor Services. It found the average DB plan returned 7.9 per cent for the full year, down from […]
Nearly all (97 per cent) of fees paid by institutional investors go to active managers, virtually unchanged from 2023 (98 per cent), according to a new report by Callan. The report analyzed mandates run by more than 300 investment firms for nearly 180 institutional investors, representing US$784 billion in assets under management and $1.9 billion […]
CPP Investments is pursuing investments in medical outpatient buildings through a new a joint venture with IRA Capital and an undisclosed global institutional investor. The investment organization will own a 47.5 per cent stake in the joint venture and allocated US$143 million of equity capital in the partnership. The joint venture will have an expected […]
With only a few weeks left in a year impacted by trade wars, equity concentration risk and the increased appeal of artificial intelligence opportunities, defined benefit plan sponsors, money managers and other investment professionals gathered at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. for the Canadian Investment Review’s 2025 Investment Innovation Conference. From Nov. 19-21, […]
Fading developed markets bilateral aid and U.S. tariff policy is pushing emerging markets debt as an attractive alternative for growing countries, according to Yvette Babb, portfolio manager at William Blair. “Debt levels in emerging markets are, in fact, lower than their advanced country counterparts. . . . Default rates are low, but also recovery rates, […]
The size of the collateralized loan obligation market is revealing an interest pattern in alternative debt investment opportunities, particularly in Europe and the U.S., according to David Lindstone, executive director at Benefit Street Partners Alcentra, which is owned by Franklin Templeton Investments. “It’s about US$1.4 trillion globally at this point, so it’s a very meaningful […]
CPP Investments’ chief executive officer has described the organization as a supertanker, referring to scale — a portfolio approaching $800 billion — and the inability to pivot quickly due to its investments across illiquid assets. “We need to be cognizant of that,” said Derek Walker, the organization’s managing director and head of applied research and […]