CIR news

Latest news in Research & Markets

Collective DC pension plan designs offer benefits to sponsors, members: report

Collective defined contribution pension plans could begin to replace DC plans, just as DC plans have replaced the majority of defined benefit plans in recent…

  • By: Staff
  • October 8, 2021 October 8, 2021
  • 09:00

Canadian DB pension plan returns dip, balance sheets stable in September: report

The typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan deteriorated on a solvency basis but improved on an accountancy basis in September, according to a new report…

What do historically low interest rates mean for DB pension de-risking?

Volatile quarter increasing DB pension liabilities: report

Increasing yield for long-term government bonds and a flat credit spread through the third quarter of 2021 are driving up defined benefit pension liabilities, according…

  • By: Staff
  • October 5, 2021 October 5, 2021
  • 12:30
Copyright_jakobradlgruber_123RF

Canada’s office vacancy at highest point since 1994, but rents stable due to institutional investors: report

While the percentage of office spaces that are vacant in Canada is higher than at any point since 1994, rental prices have remained fairly stable…

DC pension members prioritizing remuneration, ESG resolutions: survey

Governance-related resolutions are receiving more overall votes from defined contribution pension plan members, but environmental issues are more engaging on a vote-per-measure basis, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • September 14, 2021 September 14, 2021
  • 12:00

CPPIB, Ontario Teachers’ among the world’s top 20 pension funds

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan are among the 20 largest pension funds in the world in terms of…

  • By: Staff
  • September 9, 2021 September 9, 2021
  • 12:20

Chicago police pension fund accused of mismanaging funds by outside auditor

A report from the Chicago Police Department Pension Board Accountability Group is accusing the management of the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago of…

  • By: Staff
  • September 7, 2021 September 7, 2021
  • 13:00

Pensions in position to off load risks: expert

“Plans are, for the first time in a long time, in a position to off-load risk,” says Murray Wright, one of the contributors to LifeWorks…

ESG influencing company strategy, increasing oil market vulnerability: reports

Majority of climate-themed equity funds out of alignment with Paris Agreement: report

The majority of climate-themed equity funds offer only marginal benefits compared to the broader market, according to a new report by the London-based think tank…

24603574-123RF

ESG integration hampered by pension plan sponsors, uncertainty around fiduciary duties: research paper

Board and executive-level efforts to integrate environmental, social and governance issues into pension plans’ investment strategies are frequently thwarted by unclear guidance from plan sponsors…

  • By: Staff
  • September 2, 2021 September 2, 2021
  • 09:00
©quasargal/123RF.COM

Two decades of low inflation push DB pensions toward alternative investments: Bank of Canada

Canada’s defined benefit plans are allocating more to alternative investments as a result of a two-decade period of low inflation, according to a new study…

  • By: Staff
  • August 31, 2021 August 31, 2021
  • 09:00

July consumer price index hits 3.7 per cent: StatCan

Canada’s consumer price index rose by more than half a per cent in July, reaching 3.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis, according to Statistics…

  • By: Staff
  • August 26, 2021 August 26, 2021
  • 11:00

Ontario Teachers’ returns 3.8% in first half of 2021

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan returned 3.8 per cent in the first half of 2021, a significant improvement on its negative 0.4 per cent return…

  • By: Staff
  • August 24, 2021 August 24, 2021
  • 12:00

Positive DC plan investment outlook, returns may fuel early retirements: report

After the market rollercoaster ride of 2020, investors’ expectations have shifted considerably, and many are now looking for returns of 10.6 per cent above inflation…

  • By: Staff
  • August 17, 2021 August 17, 2021
  • 09:00

Canadian equities buoy DB pension’s Q2 returns: report

Canadian defined benefit pension plans returned 4.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2021, according to RBC Investor & Treasury Services’ latest all-plan universe.…

  • By: Staff
  • August 3, 2021 August 3, 2021
  • 12:00

Institutional investors’ interest in digital assets on the rise: survey

The majority (71 per cent) of institutional investors expect to add digital assets to their investment portfolios within the next five years, according to a…

  • By: Staff
  • July 29, 2021 July 29, 2021
  • 12:25

Canadian pension returns up during Q2, buoyed by global equities: reports

As global equities overcame inflationary fears and continued an upward trend, Canadian pension plan investment returns increased during the second quarter of 2021, with the…

  • By: Staff
  • July 26, 2021 July 26, 2021
  • 09:15
18045459-123rf

Volitility, high inflation to be expected during coronavirus recovery, says Bank of Canada

Canada’s economy will undergo volatility and inflationary acceleration as the nation recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, warns the governor of the Bank of Canada. “The process…

  • By: Staff
  • July 15, 2021 July 15, 2021
  • 13:00

DB pension interest in fixed income grew in 2020, finds PIAC asset mix report

Members of the Pension Investment Association of Canada saw their managed assets grow by 7.4 per cent in 2020, according to a new report. In…

  • By: Staff
  • July 15, 2021 July 15, 2021
  • 09:00

Canadian DB pensions’ funding positions improve in June as bond returns level off: report

The funded position for an average Canadian defined benefit pension plan improved slightly on both a solvency and accounting basis in June, according to a new…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2021 July 9, 2021
  • 15:00

Canadian DB pensions see improved funded position, investment returns: reports

The aggregate funded ratio for Canadian defined benefit pension plans in the S&P/TSX composite index increased from 94.8 per cent in the first quarter of…

  • By: Staff
  • July 5, 2021 July 2, 2021
  • 09:00

Value of assets in trusteed pension funds rises 6.6% in 2020 to $2.22 trillion: StatsCan

The value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds increased to $2.2 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to new data from…

  • By: Staff
  • June 28, 2021 June 28, 2021
  • 09:00
161931952_Roman Samborskyi_123rf

Decline in bond yields signals market observers to be on ‘inflation watch’: report

The funded position for an average Canadian defined benefit pension plan improved slightly during May, with a solvency of 108.2 per cent, according to a…

  • By: Staff
  • June 10, 2021 June 10, 2021
  • 12:30

Canadian ETF market reaches US$189BN in 2020: report

Assets in the Canadian exchange-traded funds market reached US$189 billion in 2020, fuelled by a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent over the…

BCI developing climate-change, decision-making tools for institutional investors

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is partnering with the University of Victoria-led Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions to co-develop decision-making tools and frameworks for…

  • By: Staff
  • April 28, 2021 April 28, 2021
  • 09:00