U.S. public pension plan sponsors have significantly diversified their portfolios since 2001, allocating, on average, 20 per cent of assets from public equities and fixed income to private equity, real estate, hedge funds and other alternative investments, according to a new report by Aon and the National Institute on Retirement Security. It found this shift […]
Two-thirds (67 per cent) of Canadians say they’re very concerned about how Canada-U.S. relations, along with the cost of living (67 per cent) and general economic uncertainty (65 per cent), will impact their retirement savings, according to a new survey by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. The survey, which polled more than 2,000 Canadians, […]
The move towards a core-plus mindset, first-time major allocations to stand-alone credit strategies and a focus on less liquid assets are the top trends in credit among institutional investors, according to Andrzej Skiba, managing director and head of U.S. fixed income on the BlueBay fixed income team at RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., speaking during […]
The estimated funded status of the 100 largest U.S. public defined benefit pension plans rose to 102.9 per cent in April, up slightly from 102.7 per cent at the end of March, according to a new report by Milliman Inc. It found an increase in discount rates shaved US$10 billion off liabilities and helped offset […]
The funded position of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan decreased both on a solvency and accounting basis in March, according to Telus Health’s latest pension index. It found the average funded position decreased slightly on a solvency basis from 100 per cent to 97.7 per cent at the end of the month. On […]
The benefits of artificial intelligence go hand in hand with the many risks, but the pension industry’s requirements around fiduciary responsibility and governance, as well as privacy concerns, add an important layer to these considerations. Genevieve Hayman, senior affiliate researcher in research, advocacy and standards, the CFA Institute Many artificial intelligence risks — which include […]
The median solvency ratio for Ontario defined benefit pension plans remained stable at 122 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a new report by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. It noted throughout 2024, the median solvency funded status remained above 120 per cent, the highest percentage since the FSRA […]
Home-country bias is a conversation that ebbs and flows, with U.S. investment returns since the 2008/09 financial crisis reigniting the conversation, said Jon Knowles, institutional portfolio manager in global asset allocation at Fidelity Investments. However, it’s important to ask how to appropriately deal with home-country bias against a backdrop where one market and limited diversification […]
An emerging trend in U.S. defined contribution investment strategies is the ‘blend trend,’ which is a target-date solution that allocates to underlying building blocks that are managed both actively and passively. During a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 DC Plan Summit, Jessica Sclafani, global retirement strategist at T. Rowe Price, shared data from the investment […]
Amid all of the Canadian industries impacted by tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeting the production of aluminum shows a misunderstanding of the industry, said Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Plan Summit on Feb. 28. “Frankly, not to […]