The novel coronavirus has introduced unprecedented volatility to financial markets and is taking its toll on pension plans. We’ve seen sharp corrections in most equity markets. At its lowest point in the correction to date, the S&P 500 lost 34 per cent of its value, from its peak in February. The TSX, which has also […]
For smaller pension funds looking to access private equity opportunities, the lower and middle part of the Canadian market should be very attractive, says Tracey McVicar, a partner at CAI Capital Partners, referring to businesses with $3 million to $10 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Institutional investors with bigger pools of […]
Worldwide private equity fundraising hit US$692 billion in 2019, surpassing the asset class’s peak in 2007. Private equity activity trended towards fewer but larger funds seeing commitments from investors, according to a new report by the Callan Institute. Buyout funds, in particular, saw a leap in commitments, jumping to 55.1 per cent of commitments overall […]
When it comes to private markets, implementing target allocations is easier said than done. At the Canadian Investment Review’s Plan Sponsor Exchange conference in February, a panel featuring Julie Cays, chief investment officer at the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan; Sean Hewitt, chief executive officer at the Toronto Transit Commission Pension Fund […]
As private markets continue to make up a large portion of pension plans’ portfolios, they can’t ignore the risk management of these assets. One issue to consider is implementation, said Nalaka De Silva, head of private markets solutions at Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s Plan Sponsor Exchange conference […]
While pension funds may own traditional asset classes such as buildings, bridges or toll roads, aviation leasing is another asset class available to sophisticated investors. An aircraft is a good investment because it’s a fungible asset, says Justin Bradburn, principal and head of aviation at CarVal Investors. “And what I mean by that is you […]
Along with more traditional asset classes like fixed income or private equities, litigation finance is another area for pension funds to keep on their radars. With litigation financing, an investor provides an upfront funding commitment to a plaintiff to typically be deployed on certain milestones of a legal case, with the expectation of sharing in […]
When it comes to private equity investments, there’s a business case for multi-manager co-investment funds versus single-manager primary funds, according to research by Capital Dynamics. The global asset management firm published a research paper using Preqin data to compare how actual co-investment funds compare to single sponsor private equity funds of the same vintage. It […]
TD Asset Management Inc. is launching a new fund to meet the needs of institutional investors looking for exposure to global real estate markets. The fund, which includes both direct and indirect global real estate investments, was seeded in 2019 and has exposure to more than 600 properties in approximately 15 countries. It includes office, […]
In a low-rate world where income is increasingly tough to find, more and more investors are getting into the riskier corners of lending to companies. A financial watchdog says that might cause problems in financial markets during a downturn. The Financial Stability Board, an international group created to co-ordinate financial regulators, released a report Thursday […]