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Latest news in Investment Strategies

Low-volatility stocks expected to outperform

Low-volatility stocks expected to outperform

Low-volatility stocks have outperformed the general market and that trend is expected to continue, according to a white paper.

  • By: Staff
  • December 18, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 15:20
Smart beta ETFs more popular with institutional investors

Smart beta ETFs more popular with institutional investors

Institutional investors report that they are increasingly using smart beta exchange-traded funds, according to a new study.

  • By: Staff
  • December 11, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 11:45
Are low-volatility equity strategies a sweet spot for pension investors?

Are low-volatility equity strategies a sweet spot for pension investors?

Are low-volatility equity strategies a sweet spot for pension investors?

  • By: Brooke Smith
  • December 11, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 07:03
Traditional active investments expected to become passé

Traditional active investments expected to become passé

Investors will increasingly abandon traditional and benchmark-based active investments in favour of “new active,” outcome-oriented investment strategies during the five years ending in 2018.

  • By: Staff
  • November 26, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 09:14
Vertex One starts a low-volatility fund

Vertex One starts a low-volatility fund

Vertex One Asset Management Inc. has launched a new fund for retail and institutional investors seeking absolute returns with low monthly volatility.

  • By: Staff
  • November 22, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 15:39
Low volatility: In search of a smoother road

Low volatility: In search of a smoother road

Last month, I wrote about the expanding equity index universe and the case for investing in frontier markets. Another equity index development that is gaining…

Looking for alpha

Looking for alpha

Hunting for alpha isn’t just about stock picking, say three portfolio managers.

Adding asset classes to reduce risk

Adding asset classes to reduce risk

The past few weeks have been dominated by news reports about tornadoes that have ripped through Oklahoma, causing devastation in their wake. People have died,…

  • June 17, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 11:35
Additional asset classes could improve DC plan returns

Additional asset classes could improve DC plan returns

Broadening the investment options available to American DC plans to include real assets, emerging market equities and debt, and liquid alternatives could improve returns while…

  • By: Staff
  • June 11, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 10:00
Spartan launches onTREND fund

Spartan launches onTREND fund

Spartan Fund Management has launched the onTREND fund, a discretionary trend-following fund focused on North American-listed equities.

  • By: Staff
  • June 5, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 08:27
What macroeconomic trends mean for pension plan managers

What macroeconomic trends mean for pension plan managers

In the early 2000s, the world seemed to be behaving pretty much as it should, or at least the way many institutional investors wanted it…

Investment oversight: the danger of paying too close attention

Manager performance is often monitored by committees over a quarterly or monthly basis, and while investment oversight is a necessary and prudent function of fiduciaries,…

Living with low interest rates

Living with low interest rates

Global macro headwinds have been causing interest rates to remain low, leaving the world in a “lower for longer” rate environment. But there are strategies…

Why more long-term debt is positive for pensions

One of the items that received little attention in the federal government’s most recent Economic Action Plan (also known as the 2013 Budget) was a…

  • May 2, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 10:41
Franklin Templeton launches new growth fund

Franklin Templeton launches new growth fund

Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. has introduced a new fund for Canadian investors looking to minimize the effects of changing currency valuations on their global equity…

  • By: Staff
  • April 11, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 10:15
New thinking on emerging markets

New thinking on emerging markets

If words like volatility, uncertainty and fear spring to mind when you think of emerging markets, the speakers at Benefits Canada’s 2012 Defined Benefit Summit…

Real assets present real opportunity

Real assets present real opportunity

Stocks and bonds are the traditional investment choices for many institutional investors. But with equity markets now moving toward their previous peaks and fixed income…

Land of opportunity

Land of opportunity

Stocks and bonds are the traditional investment choices for many institutional investors. But with equity markets now moving toward their previous peaks and fixed income…

A decade of work

A decade of work

The current investment environment is scary for Canadian pension plan sponsors: low bond yields and flat equity markets with too much volatility. Where do they…

DC forum: An ounce of prevention

DC forum: An ounce of prevention

In the benefits world, plan administrators and healthcare practitioners work to save lives and costs by ensuring that preventative measures are addressed before serious illnesses…

  • By: Joel Kranc
  • December 6, 2012 September 13, 2019
  • 10:20

Video: Investing in infrastructure

Infrastructure is a key investment strategy for Canadian pension plan sponsors. Access to assets that are typically hard to enter, stable cash flows and some…

How to manage the risks of de-risking

How to manage the risks of de-risking

Originally from our sister publication, Investmentreview.com. Interest rate risk and liability driven investment (LDI) have made headlines in the last few years. There is even…

Hedge funds: Transparency and due diligence are musts

Hedge funds: Transparency and due diligence are musts

In an informal poll of investors in attendance at a recent CIBC Mellon event in Toronto, 38% of respondents indicated they were invested in hedge…

The risks of reaching for yield

The risks of reaching for yield

Pension plan sponsors require higher income to pay pension promises and higher returns to close the gap between their assets and liabilities. It’s not surprise…

De-risking strategies in volatile times

De-risking strategies in volatile times

Since the global credit crisis, investors have become more attuned to risk in general and to portfolio volatility in particular. The investment industry has responded…