With historic perceptions of emerging markets and equities no longer matching reality, institutional investors have the opportunity to scoop up good companies at low valuations, said Kamil Dimmich, portfolio manager for the emerging markets equity strategy at Pacific North of South Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. While he […]
The University of California San Diego’s Kroner Center for Financial Research is examining four research areas that can assist institutional investors in determining successful strategies that mitigate risk and generate alpha, said its executive director Michael Melvin, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. The think tank’s advisory council, which is comprised […]
The evolution of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data availability will disrupt and upend the entire asset management industry, said Neil Constable, head of quantitative research and investments at Fidelity Investments, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “Yesterday’s alpha is today’s beta [and] today’s alpha is tomorrow’s beta,” he said, noting asset […]
One defined contribution plan sponsor sings the praises of the traditional balanced fund, while another outlines a different option that better matches risk levels according to plan members’ life stages. Rob Jackett, senior director of finance and administration at Canadian Baptist Ministries Balanced funds are still relevant today for employer-sponsored savings plans. It’s important for employers […]
U.S. institutional investors paid $1.5 billion in management fees in 2022, according to a new report by investment consulting firm Callan. The report, which analyzed mandates by more than 300 investment firms and more than 180 institutional investors, found 98 per cent of the total fees paid in 2022 went to active managers, up one per cent […]
A new study looking at the implications of scale in defined benefit pension plans found size is key for several trends over time, including investment mandates, asset allocation and cost in returns. The research, ‘Scale Economies, Bargaining Power and Investment Performance: Evidence from Pension Plans‘ was recently awarded first prize in the International Centre for […]
Just over half (56 per cent) of Americans feel on track for retirement, an 11 per cent drop in confidence compared to 2022, according to a new survey by BlackRock Inc. The survey, which polled more than 450 large defined contribution pension plan sponsors, 1,200 workplace retirement plan savers, 1,300 independent savers and 300 retired […]
The majority (61 per cent) of global institutional investors are considering increasing their allocations to exchange-traded funds in the next year, down significantly from 82 per cent in 2022, according to a survey by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., a private investment bank. The survey, which polled 325 global institutional investors, including institutional investors and […]
As world markets contend with supply chain issues stemming from climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, environmental, social and governance considerations are slowly taking a more prominent role in pension funds’ risk assessments. In particular, Canadian pension funds are taking a progressive approach to ESG investing. Many have become signatories of […]
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of U.S. defined contribution pension plan sponsors say their plan offers automatic enrolment, according to a new survey by investment consulting firm Callan. The survey, which polled roughly 100 DC plan sponsors, found the vast majority used auto-enrolment for new hires, while far fewer offered this feature for current employees. Half […]