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Latest news in Investment Strategies

Sounding Board: Pension funds must get serious about adapting to climate change

Sounding Board: Pension funds must get serious about adapting to climate change

Climate change and extreme weather events threaten business continuity and, by extension, cash flow across all business sectors. However, as damaging as floods, droughts, wildfires,…

How Canadian pension funds can help Ottawa’s infrastructure agenda

How Canadian pension funds can help Ottawa’s infrastructure agenda

Though there has yet to be a formal agreement reached on how Canada’s largest pension funds will work with the federal government to support its infrastructure agenda,…

  • By: Staff
  • June 15, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:55
AIMCo invests in Alberta hydraulic fracturing company

AIMCo invests in Alberta hydraulic fracturing company

Alberta Investment Management Corporation has entered into a strategic financing relationship with Calfrac Well Services, an Alberta-based pressure pumping services provider, on behalf of certain…

  • By: Staff
  • June 15, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:45
B.C. Investment Management Corp. to acquire Glencore Agricultural Products

B.C. Investment Management Corp. to acquire Glencore Agricultural Products

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. (bcIMC) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 99.9 per cent stake in Glencore Agricultural Products for a consideration of…

  • By: Staff
  • June 10, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 14:16
PSP investments acquires interest in Allflex Group

PSP investments acquires interest in Allflex Group

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) has acquired a minority interest in Allflex Group from international private equity firm BC Partners. BC Partners first invested…

  • By: Staff
  • June 10, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:16
Impact investing the new frontier as investors seek greater influence

Impact investing the new frontier as investors seek greater influence

While divestment has been a buzzword as some investors look to make a social statement, the new frontier will instead be impact investing as responsible investing becomes more mainstream,…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • June 8, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:07
Ontario plans tout ESG progress at responsible investment conference

Ontario plans tout ESG progress at responsible investment conference

While discussions continue over new requirements around environmental, social and governance factors in Ontario, OPTrust has had provisions in place since 2007, says an official at the…

How investors can pick companies that focus on long-term value

How investors can pick companies that focus on long-term value

The dangers of short-term corporate thinking have become something of a cause célèbre of late. In the U.S. presidential race, Hillary Clinton has proposed tax reforms to…

New study casts doubt on performance of hedge-fund investments by pension plans

New study casts doubt on performance of hedge-fund investments by pension plans

As debate of the merits of hedge funds as an attractive asset class for institutional investors continues, a new study has found their investment performance…

CPPIB’s fiscal report reflects long-term challenges for pension funds

CPPIB’s fiscal report reflects long-term challenges for pension funds

While the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s modest 3.4 per cent investment return announced last week will have minimal short-term effects, its investment income will have significant…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • May 27, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:39
A look at key considerations around hedging foreign investment exposure

A look at key considerations around hedging foreign investment exposure

The reduction of a home-country bias, especially in equities, and an increase in the percentage of non-market-correlated strategies in investment portfolios are two prominent investment themes…

  • May 26, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:30
PSP Investments announces new global road investment platform

PSP Investments announces new global road investment platform

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board has become the sole shareholder of Isolux Infrastructure, which will serve as the pension investment manager’s new global road…

  • By: Staff
  • May 12, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 15:16
Pension heads discuss the lessons from Canada’s public plans

Pension heads discuss the lessons from Canada’s public plans

This week, Dean DiSpalatro, senior editor of Benefits Canada‘s sister publication, Advisor.ca, is reporting live from the CFA Institute’s annual conference. One of the first sessions featured a…

  • By: Staff
  • May 10, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
What’s the appeal of investing in distressed assets?

What’s the appeal of investing in distressed assets?

When it comes to embracing risk, Canada’s defined benefit pension plans aren’t just looking at infra­structure. Chronically low interest rates — and the resulting low…

By the numbers: A look at Canadian pension plans

  • By: Staff
  • May 6, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:14
Plan sponsors considering options amid market volatility

Plan sponsors considering options amid market volatility

It’s been a bumpy year on global stock markets and at least some plan sponsors appear to be fastening their seatbelts in anticipation of more…

Top 40 Money Managers: Why pension funds are turning to non-core infrastructure

Top 40 Money Managers: Why pension funds are turning to non-core infrastructure

“These Canadians own your town,” Fortune magazine declared in December 2015, referring to the massive infrastructure and real estate investments Canadian pension funds have made…

The implied volatility of your investment policy

The implied volatility of your investment policy

In our introductory article on volatility, A Real-Life Stress Test, we argued that the capital markets have entered a prolonged cycle of higher expected volatility.…

How Air Canada’s pension took off as Canada Post’s plan sank into deficit

How Air Canada’s pension took off as Canada Post’s plan sank into deficit

In recent years, Canada’s largest companies have struggled with the inherent ups and downs of managing risk in their defined benefit pension plans. Two employer-sponsored…

Desire versus ability: the psychology of pension risk management

When it comes to reducing pension risk, there’s an interesting dynamic between desire and ability. During periods when the desire to de-risk is high, the…

  • April 14, 2016 September 13, 2022
  • 09:28
Pension plans and the Canadian dollar dilemma

Pension plans and the Canadian dollar dilemma

For many Canadian pension investors, the Canadian dollar has been a source of tremendous volatility in recent years. After reaching a post-financial crisis high of…

  • By: Todd Nelson
  • March 30, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:26
AIMCo returns 9.1% in 2015

AIMCo returns 9.1% in 2015

Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) has reported a 9.1% rate of return on its total assets under management for the year ending December 31, 2015.…

  • By: Staff
  • March 23, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:48
Budget 2016: Liberals to ‘engage public pension plans’ as part of infrastructure boost

Budget 2016: Liberals to ‘engage public pension plans’ as part of infrastructure boost

The federal government will seek additional funding from Canada’s pension funds as it looks to invest more than $120 billion in infrastructure over the next…

Should institutional investors divest from carbon?

Should institutional investors divest from carbon?

Five years ago, Mats Andersson had an epiphany. The CEO of the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund, known as AP4, was travelling to meet with…

Investors urged to consider mid-size private companies

Investors urged to consider mid-size private companies

In hindsight, everybody would have invested in Apple back when it was a smaller, obscure private company. But as its founder Steve Jobs famously once…