The “most widely anticipated recession in history” could arrive in 2024, said Eric Lascelles, chief economist at RBC Global Asset Management, during the keynote session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. “This is still an environment in which higher rates are exerting quite a profound drag on economic growth, […]
Pension plan sponsors must effectively employ care, diligence and skill when facing cybersecurity threats, said Sandeep Kakan, board trustee and secretary at the Canada-Wide Industrial Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. Cybersecurity concerns are rising in the aftermath of the MOVEit hack, which compromised […]
Innovations in medical technology in the next 10 years could unlock a new dawn of health investments that will make the last decade look slow in comparison, said Daniel Kraft, a Stanford University and Harvard University trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur and investor, during the keynote session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference […]
Recent challenges to the 60/40 balanced portfolio rule shouldn’t sway institutional investors away from the strategy, said Steve Foerster, professor of finance at Western University’s Ivey Business School, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “Regardless of what’s happening now, we don’t want to confuse strategic asset allocation, which is what […]
For institutional investors, valuation reviews will be critical in navigating equity market uncertainties, said Amy Chang, managing director and head of active global fundamental at the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “I think this focus on business quality and looking at individual opportunities is […]
The skyrocketing cost of living has created increased need for employees to receive additional financial well-being information to meet their retirement savings goals. It’s increasingly difficult for most Canadians to put aside any savings above their monthly expenses, thanks in large part to the squeeze from high inflation and the effects of increased interest rates […]
Data management and transference is a key area of risk for pension plan sponsors as the vulnerability of engaging with third parties creates opportunities for cybercriminals, says Jillian Kennedy, a partner at Mercer. According to an online brief published last year by Ernst & Young, third-party service providers hired by public pension plan sponsors tend to […]
While pension plan sponsors are still in the early days of exploring how artificial intelligence solutions could help automate maintenance tasks, they’re exploring the various functionalities they can automate from a member service standpoint, says Akio Tagawa, president and chief executive officer at consultancy Linea Solutions. He’s seen increased interest from plan sponsors in evaluating how […]
The progression of bonds and frontier markets over the long term will be top of mind for institutional investors in the coming year, according to Andrew Forsyth, senior vice-president of institutional investment services at Franklin Templeton. Fixed income may be in the good graces of institutional investors again as higher bond yields lead the way […]
Before Janet Jule joined the Saskatchewan Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan as its chief investment officer in 2015, the pension plan sponsor started adding a wider variety of assets to its portfolio, emphasizing diversification and lowering its dependence on equities. Indeed, like many other plan sponsors, the SHEPP’s investment strategy is increasingly incorporating more alternative asset […]