Marlene Puffer, chief investment officer of the Alberta Investment Management Corp., believes many public market asset classes are under-priced as a result of inflation and interest rate hikes in 2022. “The persistent rise in inflation caught many central banks off guard, forcing them to undertake the most aggressive interest rate hiking cycle seen in decades,” […]
Nearly all (98 per cent) U.S. employees believe it’s important for their employer to provide a retirement savings plan, according to a new survey by Vestwell Inc. The survey, which polled roughly 1,300 employees and 250 employers, found nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of employees said they expect employers to offer a 401(k) or 403(b) […]
Global pension assets fell 16.7 per cent to US$47.9 trillion in 2022, driven largely by a correction in fixed income and equities markets, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. While the report found Canada’s pension asset values dropped by about 18 per cent in 2022, as of last August, it held roughly six […]
The vast majority (91 per cent) of U.K. organizations participating in a four-day workweek pilot project say they’ll continue with a four-day workweek after the project, according to non-profit 4 Day Week Global. The pilot program, which was conducted in the U.K, guided more than 60 organizations and almost 3,000 workers through a six-month trial […]
Walmart will require most of its U.S.-based technology staff to return to their assigned offices for at least two days each week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The retailer is also closing its technology hubs in Carlsbad, Cali., Portland, Ore. and Austin, Tex. As part of the office closures, Walmart is asking hundreds […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is selling its stake in an environmental waste management company. The OPTrust, which first bought an equity stake in Environmental 360 Solutions Inc. in 2020, is one of several institutional investors selling its shares to Blackrock Inc.’s alternatives fund. Environmental 360 Solutions Inc. is an end-to-end environmental management solutions provider to municipal […]
Driven by a combination of institutional investor interest and companies’ need to seek alternative funding, global private credit increased more than six-fold since the 2008/09 financial crisis, surpassing US$1.3 trillion in 2022, according to a new survey by Coalition Greenwich. The survey, which polled 220 institutional investors in Europe, North America, Japan and the U.K., […]
An article on how employers can close the pension gap among BIPOC employees was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Employers can leverage choice, education to help close pension gap among BIPOC workers 2. Ontario biosimilars policy could cut drug costs for plan […]
Trent University support workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union are joining the University Pension Plan. Under a new three-year collective agreement, the 460 employees — including administrative support staff, caretakers, secretaries, systems analysts and teaching assistants — will transition from the university’s defined benefit pension plan to the UPP in January 2025. […]
Ten former National Football League players have filed a class action lawsuit against the organization, claiming their disability claims were denied. In the filing, the plaintiffs said they’re “seeking redress for the wrongful denial of benefits, the denial of statutorily mandated full and fair review of benefits denials, violations of plan terms or governing regulations and […]