A renewed call for increased domestic investments by Canadian pension plans isn’t surprising amid an ongoing discussion around the role of investment organizations in supporting the economy, says Malcolm Hamilton, a senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute. “I think it’s very natural for Canadian businesses . . . [that] focus on the Canadian economy, not […]
The funded position of a typical defined benefit pension plan rose both on a solvency basis (2.8 per cent) and an accounting basis (2.3 per cent) during February, according to Telus Health’s latest pension index. It found the solvency of the average DB plan rose to 103.6 per cent in February, up from 100.8 per […]
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is increasing its investments in private market assets to maximize returns from its highest-performing asset classes. The pension fund said it’s increasing its private market allocations from 33 per cent to 40 per cent, according to a press release, which noted CalPERS is increasing private equity allocations from 13 […]
The total value traded in Canada’s equities marketplace reached $4.2 trillion as at Dec. 31, 2023, a 10 per cent decline from the previous 12-month period, according to a new report by the Canadian Securities Administrators. It found Canada’s equities marketplace faced a challenging market environment in 2023 caused by higher interest rates and tighter […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is appointing Chris Weitzel as senior managing director of its fixed income and foreign exchange team, effective March 11, 2024. Weitzel first joined the BCI in 2018 as part of the team that developed and launched the investment organization’s funding program. He succeeds Chris Beauchemin, who’s retiring after 35 […]
Global pension assets increased by 11 per cent to reach US$55.7 trillion in 2023, up from $50.2 trillion at the end of 2022, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. This growth was attributed to stronger capital market performance following a much more negative impact from markets in the correction of 2022, […]
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan is reporting an annual return of 9.38 per cent for 2023, partly due to the performance of equities and fixed income, says Michael Wissell, chief investment officer at the HOOPP. The investment organization finished the year with $112.6 billion in net assets, compared to $103.7 billion and a return of […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust returned 5.3 per cent for 2023, according to its latest year-end report. It found, as of Dec. 31, 2023, the plan’s net assets stood at $25 billion, up from $24.64 billion in 2022. It also reported a funded status of 100 per cent, marking 15 consecutive years at a fully funded […]
An article on Eastman Kodak Co.’s plans to outsource management of its pension assets was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. Kodak outsourcing US$1.6TN of pension assets to maximize overfunded status 2. OMERS returns 4.6% for 2023, driven by equities, fixed income […]
The average projected solvency ratio for Ontario defined benefit pension plans was 119 per cent as of Dec. 31, 2023, up two per cent from Sept. 30, 2023, according to a new report by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. It found the median projected solvency ratio exceeded 100 per cent for 12 consecutive […]