The vast majority (97 per cent) of institutional investors said they conduct an evaluation of their target companies’ non-financial disclosures, representing close to a 20 per cent increase since 2017, according to a global survey by EY. “Investors have a more sophisticated understanding of the positive link between a business’ environmental, social and governance impact and […]
Institutional investors are driving efforts to improve gender diversity within the alternative investments space, but there are still major challenges in recruiting, retaining and advancing women within such organizations, according to a report by KPMG. From a pool of nearly 900 participants in the alternative investments sector, most men (76 per cent) and women (84 per […]
Financial Horizons Group Inc. is changing up its broader leadership team. The firm is appointing David Stewart, who previously focused on the firm’s Atlantic Canada business, as its chief operations officer. Stewart will work closely with Chris Valardo on distribution, Mike Donati on dealership and Heidi MacDonald on operations, according to a press release. Cathy Hiscott […]
If institutional investors are looking to divest completely from an industry, tobacco would be ripe to pluck out of their portfolio, according to a new report by Genus Capital Management Inc. The report found that divesting entirely from tobacco wouldn’t have had a significant negative impact on returns over the past 20 years. “Though individual investors may […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans finished 2018 in negative territory, according to two new reports. Pension plans in RBC Investor & Treasury Services’ universe posted an annual return of negative 0.7 per cent, reversing gains from the previous three quarters of the year, and substantially lower than 2017’s annual return of 9.7 per cent. Canadian equities and […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, together with the the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, is providing the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group with a US$120 million credit facility. With the new financing, Cirque du Soleil is acquiring the Works Entertainment, a U.S.-based, medium-scale theatre production company. Already a shareholder of Cirque du Soleil, the Caisse intends to […]
Based on the five options put forward in British Columbia’s consultation on reforming pension solvency rules, the option to replace the current requirements with enhanced going-concern funding requirements is the favoured course of action, according to the Association of Canadian Pension Management. In its letter to the B.C. government in response to the consultation, which […]
The name of the game is engagement, according to a new report by NEI Investments. In 2018, engagement with investee companies on environmental, social and governance factors was a major undertaking for the firm. It actively engaged with 118 companies on these topics, comprising 40 per cent of its overall equity holdings. “We are committed to helping […]
In 2018, investment in Canadian real estate turned out to be a broadly lucrative venture for the country’s institutional investors, especially when compared with how poorly equities performed during the year, according to Simon Fairchild, executive director at MSCI Inc. Speaking at an event in Toronto on Friday, Fairchild described how MSCI’s Realpac Canada property index […]
Institutional plan sponsors lost a median of 3.8 per cent in 2018, as losses in the fourth quarter of the year dragged down returns, according to new data by Northern Trust Corp. The Northern Trust Universe, which tracks the performance of about 300 large U.S. institutional investment plans with a combined asset value of about $925.7 billion, found […]