Three to four years ago, institutional investors were showing strong interest in frontier markets as they sought opportunities for lower correlations with global markets. But then commodities took a downturn and investors quickly lost interest, says Kurt Reiman, chief investment strategist at BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd. “All it took was a couple of years […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. is investing in Calgary-based oil and gas company Ikkuma Resources Corp. through a $45-million financing deal. According to the agreement, AIMCo will provide a second lien loan at an annual interest rate of 7.25 per cent. In turn, AIMCo can purchase up to 6,750,000 common shares of the company for 86 cents each […]
Bolstered by a lift in global equities, Canadian defined benefit pension plans maintained positive growth in the first quarter of 2017 with average returns of 2.9 per cent, according to RBC Investor and Treasury Services. Positive global economic conditions in the first quarter helped lift global equities to a return of 6.2 per cent for […]
When Canadian Investment Review held its inaugural Global Investment Conference 20 years ago, foreign investments were something of a niche for Canadian pension plans. With the foreign property rule, investors couldn’t hold more than 20 per cent of their assets in non-Canadian investments. But jump ahead to today, and many pension funds have already made […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec will provide $107 million in debt financing to a Canadian rooftop solar power producer. Potentia Renewables Inc., which produces solar equipment for the rooftops of schools, as well as commercial and industrial buildings, will use the funds to develop more renewable power projects. The Caisse previously invested in […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is emphasizing global investments even as it noted the impact of political uncertainty in its newly released annual report for 2016. Read: Caisse focuses on ‘all-terrain portfolio’ as return drops to 7.6% “The year 2016 was anything but boring. After years of growth fuelled by low interest […]
While the investment climate has generally been positive in recent months, investors can expect a macroeconomic “tug of war” in 2017, according to the head of TD Asset Management Inc. “On the one side of this tug of war are some good things from the perspective of the financial markets,” Bruce Cooper, chief executive and […]
Investors may be tired of hearing about central banks and monetary policy moves. But these days, the outlook for many countries hinges on whether monetary policy is supportive, and that’s a major factor driving investment decisions. When looking for potential opportunities, it’s a good idea to look for “relative value” and at how monetary policy […]
With Poland issuing the world’s first sovereign green bond totalling 750 million euros in December and France following suit with an even larger issuance of 7 billion euros earlier this year, investment managers expect the market for green bonds will continue to grow. “Based on trends, 2017 will probably be the year where we’re going […]
Current holders of long-term Canadian and U.S. bonds should brace for the possibility of sharp interest rate hikes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, an economist is warning. Among the uncertainties surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for fiscal stimulus is the fact that the U.S. economy is already doing well and will likely reach full employment level by the end […]