A representative defined benefit pension plan portfolio returned 0.8 per cent during the month of July due to a positive result from equities, according to a new report by Telus Health. It found the funded status of a typical DB pension plan increased both on a solvency basis to 104.3 per cent and on an […]
The market value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds reached $2.5 trillion at the end of the first quarter 2025, representing an 8.7 per cent increase year over year, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. It analyzed the top 250 trusteed pension plans, which equates to roughly 90 per cent of […]
In times of heightened volatility, equity mutual funds rely on active management to maintain sufficient liquidity, according to new research from a member of York University’s Schulich School of Business. In the paper, Aleksandra Rzeźnik, assistant professor of finance at Schulich, argues investor redemptions of these funds can cause the investment vehicle to rebalance its […]
Real estate investment trusts are offering Canadian pension funds diversified commercial real estate exposure during uncertain period for overall real estate strategy, says John Worth, executive vice-president of research and industry outreach at the National Association of REITs. The investment vehicle is increasingly providing investors with access to new and emerging property sectors like data […]
Canadian pension plan sponsors are facing a risky landscape in 2025 regarding currency fluctuation between the Canadian and U.S. dollar. Asset owners with access to U.S. investments typically buy assets unhedged during risk-off periods, with the expectation that the U.S. dollar would appreciate and provide a natural offset, says Etienne Bordeleau, vice-president and portfolio manager […]
Pension managers’ pooled funds delivered a 3.4 per cent median return before management fees during the second quarter of 2025, according to a new report by Telus Health. Diversified pooled fund managers navigated a volatile economic context in the quarter to deliver the reported positive gains. Indeed, the median return was slightly higher than the […]
The Healthcare Employees’ Benefit Plan is reporting a 16.1 per cent investment return during 2024, an increase from a 10.8 per cent return in 2023 and the second highest return in the plan’s history. The investment organization beat its benchmark return of 14.5 per cent and achieved five- and 10-year returns of eight per cent […]
Ongoing demand from large technology companies and strong support from the U.S. government is solidifying the fundamentals of artificial intelligence investments for institutional investors, says Gurvir Grewal, a U.S. specialist from William Blair’s global equity team. “At the beginning of the year we had concerns around DeepSeek, we had political uncertainty with Trump and the […]
A new regime of higher bond yields is pushing defined benefit pension plan sponsors around the world to diversify asset holdings and increase liability-driven investment flows, according to a new report by FTSE Russell. Despite a nearly 10-year low for credit spreads, high absolute yields increased discount rates sharply for DB plans, particularly in the […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is reporting a net investment return of 2.2 per cent as at June 30, 2025, representing a gain of $3.1 billion. Net assets under management at the OMERS have increased to $140.7 billion, compared to $138.2 billion at the end of 2024. Over a 10-year period, the investment organization […]