In 2022, the typical defined benefit pension plan achieved an investment return of roughly negative 12 per cent. However, due to dramatic increases in bond yields and a subsequent decrease in pension liabilities, many pension plans ended 2022 with the same — or better — solvency funded level that they had at the beginning of […]
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 […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans generated a median return of 4.23 per cent for the first quarter of 2023, according to the BNY Mellon Canadian asset strategy view universe. Among traditional asset classes, global equities posted the strongest performance, with a quarterly median return of 7.32 per cent, while Canadian fixed income returns were the […]
The funded position of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan improved on a solvency and accounting basis in March, according to a new report by Telus Health. During the month, the solvency of the typical Canadian DB plan rose by 0.4 per cent, finishing at 101.7 per cent of its value at the start […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans rose during the first quarter of 2023, from 113 per cent at the beginning of the year to 116 per cent at the end of March, according to Mercer’s latest pension health pulse. The measure, which tracks the median solvency ratio of the DB plans […]
Higher long-term bond yields driven by rising interest rates are lowering the cost of annuity purchases for defined benefit pension plans, says Mary Kate Archibald, a principal at Eckler Ltd. Since January, the cost of an annuity purchase has decreased by between 10 and 15 per cent, as long-term bond yields increased from 1.7 to […]
While a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan saw negative investment returns in March, it also improved on a solvency and accounting basis, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. Last month, the typical DB pension plan used in LifeWork’s monthly pension indices saw investments dip in value by 0.4 per cent as a […]
Wall Street stocks are rising after three days of losses brought on by worries over the spread of the omicron variant and lingering concerns about rising inflation. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 index rose 1.5 per cent as of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq rose 1.7 per cent. Both indexes were boosted by solid gains […]
In the early days of 2020, no one could have foreseen the social and economic havoc the coronavirus pandemic would wreak on the world. Nearly two years later, as markets and economies continue to recover, Canadian pension plan sponsors are looking to their money managers to help light the way to a brighter financial future. […]
Despite the low-yield environment, fixed income continues to play an important role for institutional investors looking to make their portfolios work harder in a risk-controlled fashion, said Jeffrey Moore, a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments Inc., during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2021 Global Investment Conference. “For the bond market to hurt, there needs […]