The de-globalization movement is the latest trend pushing emerging markets to increase collaboration with one another, says Indrani De, head of global investment research at FTSE Russell. After U.S. President Donald Trump announced global tariffs in April 2025, uncertainty around global trade began to increase and analysts expected emerging markets would be severely impacted, she […]
As Canadian employers continue to experience economic strain from U.S. tariffs, it’s important for human resources professionals to focus on communication and creative strategies to retain talent, says Stephen Shore, a labour and employment lawyer at Littler LLP. While the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs implemented in April 2025, […]
Despite the ongoing geopolitical and economic volatility that marked 2025 and will continue to shape 2026, institutional investors are taking a measured approach and viewing their portfolios through a long-term lens. “You can indicate those risks, but it’s not going to change the way we invest — it’s just an added risk,” says Jennifer Shum, […]
While the Canadian pension de-risking market decreased in 2025, many plan sponsors that opted to not shed liabilities last year have simply delayed these plans amid evolving economic conditions, says Mathieu Tessier, vice-president of client relationships and innovation for defined benefit solutions at Sun Life Financial Inc. “The geopolitical and economic situation of the last […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec returned 9.3 per cent for 2025, below its benchmark portfolio’s 10.9 per cent return, according to the investment organization’s latest financial report. The investment organization’s five-year and 10-year annualized returns were 6.5 per cent and 7.2 per cent, compared to benchmarks of 6.2 per cent and 6.9 […]
U.S. tariff rates, global trade relationships and growing opportunities in artificial intelligence are among the key factors impacting institutional investors in 2026, according to a new report by WTW. It found in 2025, the U.S. effective tariff rate rose dramatically, from 2.3 per cent in January to 13.5 per cent by the end of the […]
An article on the suspension of the board chair at the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. CAAT pension plan’s board chair suspended following senior executives’ departure […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan returned 0.6 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 4.4 per cent in the previous quarter, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada Investor Services. It found the average DB plan returned 7.9 per cent for the full year, down from […]
While 61 per cent of global chief executive officers expect global economic growth to improve, only 47 per cent of Canadian CEOs agree, and confidence in Canada’s own economy has plunged to 27 per cent (down from 42 per cent last year), according to a new survey by PwC Management Services LP. The survey, which […]
Canadian benefits plan sponsors are anticipating an average medical trend rate of 8.3 per cent in 2026, up from 7.4 per cent in 2025, according to a new report by Aon. The report, which analyzed data from plan sponsors across 112 countries, found medical plan costs worldwide will rise by an average of 9.8 per […]