Canadian pension plans lost some of their first quarter gains in the second quarter of this year, as concerns over the European debt crisis and a weakening global economy pushed Canadian equities lower, according to a survey by RBC Investor Services.
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world’s largest pension fund, is selling domestic government bonds as a way to handle its increasing payout costs, reports Bloomberg.
Forget the leading edge. When it comes to investing, predictable companies will produce better returns, says David Winters, CEO of Wintergreen Advisors in Milwaukee, WI, and manager of the Renaissance Global Markets Fund.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is casting Canada as a shining star in an otherwise questionable global economic environment.
Canadians are optimistic about our country’s financial outlook, but are anxious about the poor performance and weak recovery of our Southern neighbours, says a BMO Harris Private Banking study.
Originally from our sister publication, Advisor.ca. Among American equities, large caps currently provide the most potential growth and least risk, says James Awad, managing director of New York-based Zephyr Management L.P., which has US$2 billion in assets under management. “The United States is a pretty good house in an OK neighbourhood,” he said during an […]
In a world where markets turn on a dime, the underlying economic fundamentals are often shoved to the side. “Diamonds are forever,” noted Avery Shenfeld, senior economist with CIBC World Markets, in an economist panel at the Benefits Canada Benefits & Pension Summit. “But when it comes to global economies, nothing else is really forever.”
Despite the financial chaos in Europe and weak pension returns over the past quarter, Canadians seem to be feeling pretty good. According to a survey by the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation, Canada is one of the most optimistic countries when it comes to outlook on the state of the economy.
An observation that may be made about the current economic condition is that it is penalizing savers in favour of spenders. Pension plans in particular, which represent the interests of long-term savers in many jurisdictions, are adversely affected by these conditions. Not the least of this impact is due to challenges from low interest rates.
Investor confidence was on the rise in June, according to State Street’s Investor Confidence Index (ICI). The Global ICI rose by 7.0 points from May’s reading of 86.5 to reach 93.5—its highest level this year.