It’s no surprise that Canadian pension funds had a rough first quarter of 2020 and the latest data from Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s universe of pension managers’ pooled funds confirms just that. During the quarter, diversified pooled fund managers saw a median return of negative 10 per cent before management fees, which was 0.9 per cent […]
While equity markets took substantial hits as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in North America, technology and health-care companies have performed well and are set to be long-term winners for institutional investors. “A lot of the digital transformation themes that we focus on and think about have really been highlighted, as many digital companies are really […]
The Dow Jones Industrial Average started the week by dropping about 1,000 points on Monday. Then on Tuesday, it did it again. For institutional investors grappling with such fully valued equity markets, a dip like this could represent a buying opportunity. But should they go for it? The coronavirus — worries over its further spread, […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System posted an 11.9 per cent return for 2019. The net return added $11.5 billion in value to the pension fund, pushing its funded status on a smoothed basis to 97 per cent. The double-digit returns neatly beat the OMERS overall benchmark of 7.5 per cent. “The story in 2019 is that there was […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System has appointed Michael Graham as its new global head of private equity. Graham will replace Mark Redman, who has decided to leave the pension fund, effective March 31, 2020. Since Redman joined the OMERS in 2009 to establish its European private equity business, private equity has grown as a component of the pension […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans posted an average return of 14 per cent in 2019, according to RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe. The double-digit returns were the second highest for DB plans in the past decade, bolstered by a surge in equity markets both domestically and around the world. “Over the past 10 years, […]
Institutional investors are grappling with historic levels of geopolitical tension, with multiple pain points contributing to a shifting macroeconomic landscape. But amid the whooshing sounds of headlines, quickly forgotten with the arrival of the next tweet, Canada’s pension plans are eyeing trade, interest rates and, ultimately, investment fundamentals, no matter which hashtags are trending. “Within […]
The infrastructure arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and the EQT Infrastructure IV fund are jointly purchasing German fibre technology company Deutsche Glasfaser Holding. Deutsche Glasfaser provides fibre infrastructure to underserved rural and suburban German communities. The company intends to ramp up its offerings to deploy large scale fibre-to-the-home internet access in rural German regions. […]
China’s markets are reeling from the economic ramifications of the coronavirus. With more foreign institutional investor capital allocated to the region than ever before, investors can do little else but wait to see whether the outbreak will merely cause a blip on their trading screens or if the virus will continue to spread. On Monday […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board, along with Aviva Investors, is buying Galleri K, a real estate asset in Copenhagen, Denmark. The four-story building, which includes retail and leisure space, office space, storage and parking, is currently leased to many national and international brands. The deal builds on past co-investment partnerships between PSP Investments and […]