CIR news

Latest news in Research & Markets

Ontario Teachers’ sells stake in renewables firm, PSP joins Nestle subsidiary acquisition

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is selling its stake in BluEarth Renewables Inc. to DIF Infrastructure V, a European independent infrastructure fund. The Ontario Teachers’ was…

  • By: Staff
  • May 16, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 15:01

Caisse invests in Chile ports, Ivanhoé Cambridge launches real estate platform

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, through its investment platform with port and terminal operator DP World, is taking on a 45 per…

  • By: Staff
  • May 15, 2019 January 20, 2021
  • 15:00

Governance at core of success in CAAT plan’s shift to private markets

Strong governance allowed the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan to find success in private markets, according to Julie Cays, the plan’s chief…

26251823

Will hedge funds ever fully embrace ESG?

While environmental, social and governance factors are a hot topic in the investment world, hedge funds are falling behind, according to new data from Preqin.…

  • By: Staff
  • May 10, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 07:49
82938017-123RF

An informed rebalancing process: institutionalizing the knowledge of institutional investors

As pension plan sponsors are well aware, most of a plan’s risk is in its asset allocation. So why don’t more plans spend more time…

30790473-123RF

ESG becoming mainstream, challenges still exist: survey

The movement towards sustainable investment strategies is increasing among asset managers and becoming standard, but there are still challenges, a recent survey by Aviva Investors’…

  • By: Staff
  • May 3, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 10:30
IMCO outlines portfolio construction strategy in 2018 report

IMCO outlines portfolio construction strategy in 2018 report

After starting to manage funds for its first two clients, the Ontario Pension Board and the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Investment Management Corp.…

  • By: Staff
  • May 3, 2019 January 9, 2021
  • 09:30

Most alternative investors see UN sustainable development goals as useful investment tool

The large majority of global investors in alternative asset classes believe the United Nation’s sustainable development goals are tools that can help the investment industry address…

  • By: Staff
  • May 2, 2019 January 9, 2021
  • 09:15
51601768-123RF

Alternative data and the sophisticated investor advantage

Satellite imagery from U.S. retailers’ parking lots can provide an edge to sophisticated investors, but this more expensive alternative data can leave individual investors outside…

Pooled pension fund managers rebound in 2019

Pooled pension fund managers rebound in 2019

Pooled pension fund managers bounced back in the first quarter of 2019, posting a median return before management fees of 8.3 per cent, up from…

  • By: Staff
  • April 30, 2019 September 19, 2019
  • 09:51
17401734-123RF

BoC maintains overnight rate target at 1.75%

Earlier this week, the Bank of Canada announced it’s maintaining the target for the overnight rate at 1.75 per cent. “As expected, the Bank of…

  • By: Staff
  • April 26, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 07:41
25155431-123RF

PIAC to SEC: No clear benefits to increased proxy advisory firm regulations

The Pension Investment Association of Canada has written the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, noting there shouldn’t be increased regulations on proxy advisory firms…

Asset managers need to step up on stewardship: report

While some major investment firms have made notable positive contributions to stewardship, the industry needs to step up its game, according to a report from…

  • By: Staff
  • April 22, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 10:41

Venezuela highlights need to focus on recovery risk

With Venezuela in the midst of a political and economic crisis, this is highlighting the need for investors to not only focus on default risk…

Expanding the benchmarks for pension funding status

Since using a single benchmark portfolio to measure a pension plan’s funding status paints a narrow picture, a new report by PBI Actuaries and Consultants looked…

79877109-123RF

Ethical investing important to majority of Canadians: survey

Seventy per cent of Canadians said they think it’s important to invest in companies with strong environmental, social and governance performance, according to a new…

  • By: Staff
  • April 18, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 10:05
37361643-123RF

Is exposure to Chinese bonds becoming the norm?

At the start of April, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index started including Chinese bonds. “Adding China to a benchmark global bond index – with two more…

  • By: Staff
  • April 18, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 08:38
124848496-123RF

FTSE Russell announces results of first fixed income country classification review

As Canadian pension plans look globally for fixed income, FTSE Russell has introduced a country classification framework to make the process of managing country inclusion…

25155431-123RF

When companies push back on pension engagement, proxy voting

As pension plans are engaging more often as active shareholders, some companies are beginning to chafe. One instance of pushback came after the the New…

119057680_l-1-1

Alternative risk premia: taking a hierarchical risk allocation approach

Alternative risk premia strategies are generally assumed to diversify equity and bond market risk, but this isn’t always the case, according to a paper out…

Curbing global warming essential to investors and planet: report

Curbing global warming essential to investors and planet: report

Limiting global warming is essential to institutional investors, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. The report models three different scenarios, examining the impact…

The importance of VC skill in the screening process

Venture capitalists provide value for investors seeking to make allocations to early-stage or emerging firms, according to research from Rustam Abuzov, a PhD candidate at…

26251823

The case against hedge fund activism

While shareholder activism is a hot topic among institutional investors, where hedge funds are concerned, it doesn’t seem to have much impact on investee company…

FTSE Russell appoints first head of Canada

FTSE International Ltd. is appointing Paul Bowes in the newly created role of Canadian country head. In the position, Bowes will oversee the Toronto team and…

  • By: Staff
  • April 4, 2019 January 10, 2021
  • 14:50
How emerging markets can address the retirement challenge

How emerging markets can address the retirement challenge

Emerging markets are facing a retirement crisis that arguably far outweighs that of the countries comprising the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to…