GDP – Benefits Canada.com

2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum: The value of active management in emerging markets

bwolfe — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 12:55:57 +0000

With historic perceptions of emerging markets and equities no longer matching reality, institutional investors have the opportunity to scoop up good companies at low valuations, said Kamil Dimmich, portfolio manager for the emerging markets equity strategy at Pacific North of South Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. While he […]

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Survey finds 40% of Canadian gen Z employees at a mental-health ‘breaking point’

Sadie Janes — Mon, 08 May 2023 19:00:38 +0000

Roughly 40 per cent of generation Z employees say they’re at a mental-health “breaking point,” according to a new survey by Boston Consulting Group. The survey, which polled more than 1,300 young Canadian employees, found twice as many millennials and gen Z workers said they want a workplace culture that prioritizes mental health and well-being, […]

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Majority of global institutional investors expect interest rates to rise in 2022: survey

Gideon Scanlon — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:00:12 +0000

Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of global institutional investors expect interest rates to rise in 2022, according to a new outlook survey by Natixis Investment Managers. Concern about rising interest rates were also reflected in responses to questions about investment decision-making, with 71 per cent of respondents saying they believe the stock market’s current rate […]

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What role can insurance-linked securities play in pension portfolios?

mschmit — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 03:24:17 +0000

In a market rocked by a considerable increase in cross-asset volatility, the need to search for alternative means of diversification that embrace different sources of risk and return is crucial. One solution for pension plan sponsors to consider is investing in insurance-linked securities. Often a misunderstood and underutilized asset class, insurance-linked securities are investments whose […]

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Economists agree we’re in a recession, but there’s little consensus on why

mschmit — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 04:50:21 +0000

Economists say there is no doubt that Canada is experiencing a recession, but the exact criteria determining one is underway can be fraught with confusion. Broadly speaking, a recession is a period of business contraction where economic activity declines. But what exactly constitutes a decline, and over what time period, is the subject of much […]

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Canadian economy posted record drop in second quarter due to pandemic

mschmit — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 04:13:04 +0000

The Canadian economy suffered its worst three-month stretch on record in the second quarter as the economy came to a near halt in April before starting to recover in May and June. Statistics Canada said Friday real gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 38.7 per cent for the quarter, the worst posting […]

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Survey: Business economists sketch a more hopeful outlook

mschmit — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 04:18:28 +0000

The economic outlook of U.S. business economists has improved over the past three months, though their sunnier view may be jeopardized by the resurgence of the coronavirus. A survey released Monday by the National Association for Business Economics finds a “significant snap-back in expectations from the depths reached across nearly all categories in April,” according […]

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Statistics Canada says economy posted record 11.6 per cent plunge in April

mschmit — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 10:21:11 +0000

Statistics Canada says the economy saw its largest monthly drop on record in April as it came to a near standstill due to the pandemic, but early indications point to a rebound in May as businesses began to reopen. The agency said Tuesday gross domestic product fell 11.6 per cent in April with non-essential businesses […]

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IMF downgrades outlook for global economy in face of virus

mschmit — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 05:49:18 +0000

The International Monetary Fund has sharply lowered its forecast for global growth this year because it envisions far more severe economic damage from the coronavirus than it did just two months ago. The IMF predicts that the global economy will shrink 4.9 per cent this year, significantly worse than the three per cent drop it […]

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Bank of Canada keeps key rate target on hold, expects return to growth in Q3

mschmit — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 04:18:45 +0000

The economy appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank of Canada said Wednesday as it kept its key interest rate steady at its lower bound. The bank left its target for the overnight rate unchanged at 0.25 per cent, which it has said is as low as it […]

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