The funded position of a typical defined benefit pension plan increased on both a solvency and accounting basis during the month of June, according to the latest pension index from Telus Health. In June, the solvency of the average DB plan rose to 103.2 per cent, up from 101.4 per cent during the month of […]
The Bank of Canada raised interest rates again on Wednesday and released new projections that suggest it will take longer to get inflation back to two per cent. The central bank hiked its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, bringing it to five per cent. Forecasters were widely anticipating the central […]
The median solvency ratio of Ontario defined benefit pension plans rose during the first quarter of 2023, from 112 per cent at the beginning of the year to 115 per cent at the end of March, according to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s latest pension solvency report. During the quarter, pension fund investment returns averaged […]
Amid the unprecedented events of the last three years, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan has remained on course with its investment strategies, according to Asif Haque, the plan’s chief investment officer. “We held our focus on the key goal of the CAAT’s investment program. . . . The plan’s diversified asset […]
Finance’s toughest problem just got a whole lot trickier, thanks to the quandary of inflation. Legendary economist William F. Sharpe sealed his place in history when he collected the 1990 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on investment decision-making, but in defined contribution pension circles, the emeritus professor at Stanford University is […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is urging the federal government to reconsider its cessation of real return bond issuances, citing the potential financial impacts to defined benefit pension plans. “We request not only that the decision to cease issuing real return bonds be reconsidered, but also that the annual issuance of real return bonds be […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan lost ground on a solvency and accountancy basis in December, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. At the end of 2022, the solvency index reached 103.8 per cent, down 3.1 per cent from the end of November. The balance sheet index also fell 2.4 per cent — […]
BMO Financial Group expects North American economies will go through a shallow recession in 2023, according to Douglas Porter, the bank’s chief economist and managing director, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. “I would give it a 25 per cent chance that central banks can still negotiate this without one. […]
An article on the FIRE — financial independence and retiring early — concept was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Is the concept of financial independence and early retirement truly feasible? 2. Expert panel: Can pension administrators deny benefits to plan members who don’t […]
Despite concerns about global economic headwinds, the Bank of Canada’s successful efforts to curb inflation is capturing the attention of institutional investors, says Kathrin Forrest, a Toronto-based equity investment specialist at Capital Group Inc. “It’s surprised market participants,” says Forrest, referring to the central bank’s Oct. 26 decision to increase interest rates for the sixth […]