The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is reinvesting in a U.K.-based online mental health-care company. The OMERS participated in a funding round that raised £20 million (about $33 million) for HelloSelf, which connects patients with psychologists and therapists through an online platform. In 2021, the OMERS invested £5.5 million (about $9.1 million) and served as […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s assets returned 0.2 per cent during the second quarter of fiscal 2023, according to its latest quarterly report. By Sept. 30, 2022, the investment organization’s net assets reached $529 billion, up from $523 billion at the end of June. About $5 billion was generated by net transfers, while the […]
There are a lot of reasons to believe financial markets will be very different in the next 10 to 20 years than what pension funds have been used to, according to Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer of the University Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute forum in Montreal last […]
King Midas’ gold-heavy investment portfolio wasn’t built for long-term growth, rather as an effective hedge against long-term inflation. “The 150-year real return of gold has been plus 0.2 per cent, so it’s not a very attractive asset from a long-term perspective,” said Inigo Fraser-Jenkins, co-head of institutional solutions at AllianceBernstein, during a session at the […]
With increased market volatility due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, central banks in the West looking to tighten monetary policies as the world begins emerging from the coronavirus pandemic and higher, more persistent inflation than anticipated, bond investors are in for a wild ride, said Samantha Klein, lead of institutional business for T. Rowe Price […]
Canada’s pension plans are well positioned to succeed in a high inflation environment though stagflation remains a significant threat, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. “The maturing nature of participant bases increases pension funds’ reliance on investment returns, as contributions and income from active members may be outpaced by benefits paid to a […]
The median Canadian defined benefit pension plan experienced a pullback in investment returns during the first quarter of 2022, returning negative 6.4 per cent as markets entered a heightened period of uncertainty, according to a new report by Northern Trust Canada. The report, which tracks the performance of Canadian DB plans that subscribe to Northern […]
At the beginning of 2020, the OPSEU Pension Trust upped its gold allocation to close to six per cent of its total fund after a comprehensive portfolio assessment. The decision paid off. In an environment of historically low interest rates and coronavirus-related market uncertainty, the commodity’s price skyrocketed to reach an all-time high of US$2,000 […]
After navigating the unpredictable markets of the past two decades, some defined benefit pension plan sponsors could be forgiven for wanting to seek out some certainty. But a new threat has emerged in the form of rapidly rising inflation and the possibility of rate increases after decades of persistent lows. The consumer price index increased […]
“Inflation is here and it has a meaningful impact on portfolios and financial assets,” said Ilan Kolet, an institutional portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments Inc., during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2021 Investment Innovation Conference. “I don’t think this will be a shock to anyone in the room or online.” Highlighting the most […]