With renewed volatility prompting money managers back on their toes, equity markets have been leading investment industry discussions over the past few quarters. Against this backdrop, how is fixed income, the other fundamental building block of defined benefit pension portfolios, faring? For David Lafferty, senior vice-president and chief market strategist at Natixis Investment Managers, the […]
When it comes to investing member contributions, the Co-operators Group Ltd.’s defined contribution pension doesn’t look like many other Canadian plans. For one, it doesn’t use a platform approach to investing. Instead, much of its more than $1 billion in assets under management are part of a pre-constructed balanced fund with different target-risk levels with […]
A thick fog is clouding institutional investors’ efforts to gain clarity on the global market outlook, but certain key themes are peeking through, according to Manulife Investment Management’s mid-year report. Geopolitical unrest continues to be a cause for concern, the report noted. The escalation of trade tensions between the U.S. and China could point to a […]
Sun Life Financial Inc. is consolidating several elements of its asset management business. The firm’s fixed income institutional asset management businesses — Prime Advisors Inc., Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc. and Sun Life Institutional Investments Inc. — will be combined with its general account to form SLC Management, a new autonomous asset management business. SLC […]
In Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, pension funds are increasing their exposure to equities at the expense of fixed income, according to a new report by Mercer. In aggregate, over the five-year measurement period, average allocations to equities for the growth markets covered by the report rose eight percentage points to 40 per […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board reported a net return of 7.1 per cent at the end of its last fiscal year, ending March 31, 2019. The fund increased its overall assets under management by 9.7 per cent, jumping from $153.1 billion to $168 billion, including the $3.7 billion the fund received in net contributions. […]
Since standard banks began to shy away from their traditional financing role after the 2008 financial crisis, institutional investors have helped maintain markets by becoming increasingly important providers of long-term capital. Historically low interest rates also pushed these sovereign wealth and pension funds away from the traditional fixed income bedrock of their portfolios into a bevy […]
Morningstar Inc. has signed a deal to buy Canadian debt-rating agency DBRS for US$669 million. The U.S. company says the combination of DBRS with Morningstar Credit Ratings’ U.S. business will expand its global asset class coverage. Morningstar says DBRS, formerly known as the Dominion Bond Rating Service, will continue to be led by its existing […]
Fiera Capital Corp. is acquiring Foresters Life Insurance Co.’s asset management business in an effort to beef up its offering for institutional clients, according to Jean-Philippe Lemay, Fiera’s president and chief operating officer. Montreal-based Fiera will buy Foresters Asset Management Inc., Foresters’ Toronto-based investment management subsidiary that’s focused on institutional and insurance liability-driven investment. The terms […]
Sun Life Investment Management is appointing Elaad Keren as senior managing director and head of mid-markets lending. In the new role, Keren is replacing Keith Cressman, who will retire in September after a 35-year career in the investment management industry. Prior to the role at Sun Life, Keren was a member of the senior management team at CWB Maxium Financial. […]