Amid the unprecedented events of the last three years, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan has remained on course with its investment strategies, according to Asif Haque, the plan’s chief investment officer. “We held our focus on the key goal of the CAAT’s investment program. . . . The plan’s diversified asset […]
Despite the challenging economic environment, Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw a median return of 4.27 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to BNY Mellon’s Canadian master trust universe. The universe, which is based on $290.3 billion worth of assets under management across 84 corporate, public and university pension plans, found the one-year median […]
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, institutional investors are increasingly factoring geopolitical risks into portfolio construction, according to John Bai, senior vice-president and chief investment officer at NEI Investments, during a 2023 economic outlook seminar hosted by the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute on Wednesday. “All of a sudden, geopolitical risks went from […]
Emerging market economies with strong domestic structural growth stories are likely to thrive in the next 10 years, said Alexis Freyeisen, investment strategist for emerging markets equities at AllianceBernstein, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Investment Innovation Conference. “There is a lot of negative press around EM and the media likes to […]
Reduced investment in the fossil fuel sector will lead to higher energy prices, encouraging the development of transition technologies, according to Mark Lacey, head of global resource equities and global thematics at Schroders, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Investment Innovation Conference. “We’ve been through a massive divestment period that’s been exaggerated […]
The average solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans grew by 10 per cent in 2022, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. The report, which looked at the overall 2022 performance of more than 500 Canadian DB plans in the consultancy’s pension database, found the median solvency ratio reached 113 per cent […]
If there was one message for defined benefit pension plan sponsor delegates at the 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum, it was that the fate of global markets in 2023 is on a knife’s edge. In the keynote address, Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, said he expects the Canadian economy […]
“I’m going to start my presentation by saying what any self-respecting consultants say all the time — we got it wrong,” said Andrew Bishop, senior partner and global head of policy research at Signum Global Advisors, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. “I’m referring to China’s easing of […]
Reports that a leading asset manager is delaying the launch of a Chinese bond fund indefinitely are a clear sign that the facade around Chinese stocks’ and bonds’ environmental, social and governance record may be lifting. In recent years, rising investment in Chinese stocks and bonds coincided with a boom in ESG investing. Of course, […]
In 2022, normal was supposed to make a comeback — it didn’t. Just as supply chains began to stabilize, war broke out in Europe, China invaded Taiwan’s waters, inflation skyrocketed and central banks began hiking interest rates. While investments in renewable energy infrastructure reached new highs, economies that had been moving away from fossil fuels […]