While institutional investors are no strangers to established markets such as Europe and the U.S., the world’s emerging and frontier markets can provide diversification and opportunities for lucrative returns. Not surprisingly, events such as the coronavirus pandemic and a shifting geopolitical landscape are influencing these decisions in 2022 and beyond. In recent months, Russia’s invasion […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans saw median returns of negative 7.33 per cent in the second quarter of 2022, according to the BNY Mellon Canadian master trust universe. It found the one-year median return as of June 30, 2022 was negative 8.25 per cent, while the median 10-year annualized return was 7.45 per cent. Among […]
The University Pension Plan is rolling out a new climate strategy that aims to make its portfolio carbon neutral by 2040. “I’m proud that we’ve set an ambition consistent with the challenge we face,” says Brian Minns (pictured), managing director of responsible investing at the UPP. “We’re going to deliver on our investment returns in […]
After a record-breaking year, Alberta’s public sector investment fund manager is seeking to earn the trust of its client pension funds. “A combination of factors had undermined trust between AIMCo and some of our clients,” wrote Evan Siddall, chief executive officer of the Alberta Investment Management Corp., in the organization’s 2021 annual report. “Whatever the reasons, […]
Despite year-to-date asset losses and historically high levels of inflation, most Canadian defined benefit pension plans are reporting increased funded positions in the second quarter of 2022, according to a report by Mercer Canada. It found the median solvency ratio increased from 108 per cent as at March 31 to 109 per cent as at […]
There are a lot of reasons to believe financial markets will be very different in the next 10 to 20 years than what pension funds have been used to, according to Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer of the University Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute forum in Montreal last […]
An article on how pension plans are approaching risk management was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Expert panel: Is risk management the new frontier in pension governance? 2. Sun Life completes acquisition of U.S. dental benefits provider 3. 44% of employers believe remote […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board returned 10.9 per cent — or $19.7 billion — across is total portfolio in the 2022 fiscal year. Between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, the institutional investor’s assets under management grew from $204.5 billion to $230.47 billion, an increase of 12.7 per cent. The results raised PSP […]
In recent years, Canada’s largest pension plans have dramatically increased their allocations to private assets — and smaller plans’ sponsors are taking note. “Investors are confronting capital market expectations for the next 10 or 20 years that look somewhat more modest than what we’ve recently experienced. Many are beginning to pursue larger allocations to private […]
Canada’s Maple 8 — the country’s largest eight public pension plans that manage a total of about $2 trillion in assets — use similar governance structures to consistently deliver strong returns. Pension systems around the world are difficult to manage, said Sebastien Betermier, an associate professor of finance at the Desautels Faculty of Management at […]