The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan saw improvements on a solvency and accountancy basis in December, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. It found the average plan saw its solvency index rise to a new high of 112.1 per cent, up from 110.4 per cent at the end of November. Its balance sheet […]
The viability of a public defined benefit pension plan is best judged by its fiscal sustainability rather than its overall liabilities, according to a new report by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. The report, written by Michael Kahn, director of research at the NCPERS (pictured right), found fiscally sustainable pension plans have […]
The average solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans in Mercer’s database grew by seven per cent in 2021, according to a new report by the consultancy. The report, which looked at the overall performance of more than 500 Canadian DB plans in 2021, found, at the end of the year, the plans’ average […]
The largest defined benefit pension plans in the U.S. saw average funded status improve by eight per cent in 2021, according to a new report by Willis Towers Watson. It found the country’s largest DB pension plans saw their average funded statuses reach 96 per cent last year, higher than at any point since 2007. […]
In November, leading public intellectuals, pension leaders and investment experts joined delegates at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2021 Investment Innovation Conference at the Pillar and Post Inn and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. During their presentations, the event’s speakers touched on a veritable smorgasbord of topics relevant to defined benefit pension plan sponsors. Despite the breadth […]
Pension plan sponsors pay too much attention to predictions and not enough to demographic data, according to Darrell Bricker, chief executive officer of Ipsos Public Affairs and a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Policy. “Demographics . . . is like a glacier,” he said during a session at the Canadian Investment […]
Countries with strong social and governance traditions are seeing fewer deaths and more economic stability during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by FTSE Russell. “The analysis shows that investing in [environmental, social and governance] themes has overarching benefits, both for economies and investors,” wrote the report’s researchers. “While it results in more […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan saw its funding position deteriorate slightly on both a solvency and accounting basis in November, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. According to the report, the index covering the estimated average DB plan saw its solvency ratio dip, from 111.5 per cent to 110.8 per cent. […]
Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of global institutional investors expect interest rates to rise in 2022, according to a new outlook survey by Natixis Investment Managers. Concern about rising interest rates were also reflected in responses to questions about investment decision-making, with 71 per cent of respondents saying they believe the stock market’s current rate […]
Institutional investors seeking to reduce their portfolios’ carbon footprint should pay more attention to scope 3 emissions, says Priti Shokeen, head of environmental, social and governance research and engagement at TD Asset Management Inc. “Typically, when investors engage issuers on climate change, the focus tends to be on industries traditionally understood as high emitting, for […]