A traditional method used to calculate expected returns and risk by institutional investors is limited by the scarce amount of available carbon emissions data, according to a report from BNP Paribas. The report, which used the MSCI world index and the MSCI world Paris-aligned benchmark index as investment universe benchmarks, found that when assessing the […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec isn’t fulfilling its mandate to achieve optimal investment returns within its investment framework, according to a new report by the Centre for Productivity and Prosperity, a public interest group funded by the Quebec government and the Walter J. Somers Foundation. “The CDPQ is performing well enough to […]
The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan increased its average 10-year net return to 11 per cent and outperformed its benchmark, according to the plan’s preliminary 2021 valuation results. The results also found the pension plan is 124 per cent funded on a going-concern basis, with $4.4 billion in funding reserves, as of […]
At the end of 2020, a year of exceptionally volatile and unpredictable markets due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan was 119 per cent funded with $3.3 billion in funding reserves and its assets had grown to $15.8 billion from $13.5 billion on Jan. 1, 2020. “In the heart […]
A new advisory board tasked with creating a benchmark for transparency throughout global pension investment systems will include two Canadian members. The board was jointly established by Top1000funds.com and CEM Benchmarking Inc. to foster more transparency in pension investments, with the aim of improving outcomes for plan members. According to a press release, the benchmark […]
In a recent expert column, I broke down the different components of fees for defined contribution plans. And now, I will explore the key fee drivers and strategies to help plan sponsors manage fee levels in DC plans. Managing these costs are imperative, as excessive fees may result in the significant impairment of DC member […]
Since using a single benchmark portfolio to measure a pension plan’s funding status paints a narrow picture, a new report by PBI Actuaries and Consultants looked at four different portfolio types to see how the equity fall off at the end of the year, among other market events, affected different asset mixes. The liability portfolio kept […]
A U.S. and Canadian perspective on LDI
Return exceeds benchmark and 2015 numbers
Part 2 in our series on the trouble with performance measurement. Read Part 1 here.