About four in 10 (41 per cent) hedge fund managers are considering environmental, social and governance factors in their allocation decisions, according to a new survey by BarclayHedge Ltd. Among this group, 52 per cent of assets are currently allocated based on ESG ratings. Last year, that number was 42 per cent and it’s projected to jump […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. posted a combined net return of 6.1 per cent for its fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2019. Adding $2 billion in value, the organization increased its assets under management to $153.4 billion and beat its combined market benchmark, which returned 4.5 per cent. Private assets drove the outperformance, with income generation and […]
The advent of fifth generation cellular technology, 5G for short, has significant implications for institutional investors with patient capital. Many innovative sectors have the capacity to leap forward as this network technology becomes more widely used, including self-driving cars, video games, health care and cybersecurity, says Raj Lala, president and chief executive officer of Evolve ETFs. […]
Canadian defined benefit plans posted a median return of 2.5 per cent during the second quarter of 2019, according to data by Northern Trust Corp. The small gain marked the second consecutive quarter of positive growth, despite global growth concerns and worries over ongoing trade disputes contributing to equity volatility in developed markets. “In the midst of uncertainty surrounding […]
Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. is appointing Alan Bartlett as chief investment officer of its global equity group. When he begins the new role in October, Bartlett will replace Norm Boersma, the group’s CIO since 2012, who’ll retire in the fall. Previously, Bartlett was a founding member and chief executive officer of Goodhart Partners. He was also CIO of the institutional multi-manager team […]
As institutional investors continue to wait for Brexit, will anything change as Boris Johnson becomes prime minister? Mere months ago, the consensus was Britain would most likely manage some kind of deal to accompany Brexit, but Johnson’s harder stance on Europe changes the rules of engagement. “Already, you’re seeing the financial impact,” says Talbot Babineau, […]
Institutional investors are focusing on board diversity and an increased clarity of communication with their portfolio companies, according to a new report by EY. The report, which examined investor activities during the 2019 proxy-voting season, found institutional investor pressure on companies to increase the gender diversity of their boards is beginning to take effect. As well, […]
While there are signals that the global economy is slowing down, it doesn’t appear to be quite at recession levels. “That has major investment implications,” said Alec Young, managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell, in a webinar on Wednesday. Trade uncertainty is a big part of recent sluggishness in markets, he said. […]
A group of institutional investors representing US$2 trillion in assets under management is calling on the cement industry to do better on their carbon emissions. The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and investors in Climate Action 100+ called on Europe’s major construction material firms to commit to taking steps to achieve net zero emissions no later […]
The Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan posted a 5.33 per cent return for the 2018/19 fiscal year, with $335 million in total investment income, according to its annual report. Net of investment management fees, the plan’s rate of return was 5.13 per cent. Measured both ways, the returns slightly underperformed the plan’s benchmark rate of […]