According to York University’s Arijit Banik, there’s only one way forward for environmental, social and governance standards: it’s time for an evolution. The treasurer responsible for overseeing the university’s endowment fund wants to go beyond simply investing in wind and solar energies to tick a box. Instead, his investment team has pushed towards sustainable infrastructure […]
Amid concerns of energy independence and rising costs, institutional investors are increasing their investments in U.S. power plants and electricity-generating assets, said Aleksandar Andonov, associate professor of finance at the University of Amsterdam, during a webinar hosted by the International Centre for Pension Management. Andonov shared the results of a study he conducted in partnership […]
In December 2021, Simon Fraser University announced the global equity portfolios for its non-pension related funds — valued at $450 million — would divest from fossil fuel producers. Four months later, the three members of its treasury team, which is led by Jacky Shen, treasurer and director of investment at the university, announced it had […]
When key stakeholders are examining sustainability solutions, they aren’t spending enough time on whether these solutions are actually capital efficient from energy return on investment and productivity perspectives, said Patrick Kent, portfolio manager and head of the small-cap equities team at Newton Investment Management Group, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Global Investment Conference. The […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s latest annual report greenwashes its investment strategies, according to Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. “[A close reading] of its 2023 annual report shows Canada’s national pension manager continues to obscure its exposure to and prolongation of the fossil fuel economy while failing to understand that its […]
As world markets contend with supply chain issues stemming from climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, environmental, social and governance considerations are slowly taking a more prominent role in pension funds’ risk assessments. In particular, Canadian pension funds are taking a progressive approach to ESG investing. Many have become signatories of […]
The 2023 federal budget, which was announced on Tuesday, includes several initiatives related to defined benefit pension plans and the broader institutional investment sector. The government said it would entrust the administration of a new federal investment fund to the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. “By partnering with PSP Investments, the Canada Growth Fund will […]
The venture capital arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan anticipates that a slowing global economy, interest rate hikes and limited funding opportunities will drive private equity valuations down by as much as 10 per cent in 2023, according to a new report. “So far, 2023 looks set to be another challenging year: the global […]
Slightly more than a third (35 per cent) of U.S. institutional investors are incorporating environmental, social and governance factors into investment decisions, down from a high of 49 per cent in 2021, according to a new survey by investment consulting firm Callan. The survey, which polled more than 100 institutional investors, found 50 per cent […]
While one expert says the two approaches work most effectively together, the other highlights the importance of complete divestment. Adam Scott, director at Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health: The common framing of engagement versus divestment is a false dichotomy. They aren’t mutually exclusive approaches — both are essential tools for pension managers, […]