At the best of times, selecting an optimal asset mix for a defined benefit pension plan is challenging. The times of today are downright turbulent. Last year, inflation reached 8.1 per cent in Canada as a result of a prolonged period of government stimulus spending to manage the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. In response […]
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 […]
There’s something about the Arizona State Retirement System — a US$49.3-billion defined benefit-like hybrid pension plan for the state’s 600,000 current and former public sector workers — that feels downright Canadian. The resemblance is intentional. Canadian Paul Matson, executive director of the AZSRS, drew inspiration from his home country when establishing its approach, particularly in […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans generated a median return of four per cent in the first quarter of 2023, up from 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe. The most substantial increase among asset classes was foreign equities, which returned 6.9 per cent for […]
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 […]
The market value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds rose 2.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2022, hovering around $2.1 trillion, according to a new report by Statistics Canada. Public sector plan assets rose 2.7 per cent to $1.7 trillion, while private sector assets increased by 0.6 per cent to $420.9 billion. The report also […]
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan is reporting an annual return of negative 8.6 per cent for 2022, citing declines in equities and fixed income markets. The HOOPP finished the year with net assets of $103.7 billion and, despite the economic challenges, maintained a funded status of 117 per cent. Its fixed income portfolio generated […]
After reaching a near 40-year high over the past year, headline inflation started to cool in the final months of 2022 following a series of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the consumer price index was up 6.3 per cent year over year in December, down from a […]