It’s no surprise that Canadian pension funds had a rough first quarter of 2020 and the latest data from Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s universe of pension managers’ pooled funds confirms just that. During the quarter, diversified pooled fund managers saw a median return of negative 10 per cent before management fees, which was 0.9 per cent […]
With crude oil futures contracts crashing through the floor into negative territory at the beginning of the week, what opportunities are opening up for institutional investors? Panic set in on commodity trading floors on Monday because physical storage options for oil were filling up fast, with much less demand for petrol from consumers due to […]
Even amid the global chaos created by the coronavirus pandemic, China is too big an economy for institutional investors to ignore. A recent report by Greenwich Associates found the two main drivers for China allocations among institutional investors are diversification (54 per cent) and potential for alpha (31 per cent). But just as markets in Europe […]
Provincial and federal regulators are beginning to roll out relief measures for defined benefit pension plan sponsors, ranging from administrative filing extensions to freezes on commuted-value transfers. At the federal level, the government announced Thursday it will be halting solvency special payments for federally regulated DB plans until the end of 2020 to ensure plan […]
While equity markets took substantial hits as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in North America, technology and health-care companies have performed well and are set to be long-term winners for institutional investors. “A lot of the digital transformation themes that we focus on and think about have really been highlighted, as many digital companies are really […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan are purchasing 40 per cent of the shares of Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina, a Mexican infrastructure developer. The two organizations made their tender offer to buy shares of the publicly traded company, at MXN$43.96 per share, following the initial announcement of […]
The world may be more digital than ever, but a physical presence can still sometimes make the difference between success and failure for pension plans For the OPSEU Pension Trust, establishing offices abroad was a logical step. Its private markets group, which is based in Toronto, was undertaking a lot of global investment activity, so […]
Changes to Quebec’s pension legislation, including a move away from solvency funding requirements and the introduction of a cost-sharing model, against the backdrop of a low interest rate environment has had a major influence on the City of Montreal’s pension investment strategy. The City manages six plans under one pooled portfolio. The assets from all […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. delivered a 10.6 per cent return in 2019, net of all fees, representing a net investment income of about $11.5 billion and bringing the fund’s total assets under management to $118.8 billion. While the results were positive, and well above the organization’s 2.5 per cent return in 2018, its total […]
Canada’s defined benefit plans have had a rough quarter. According to Aon’s median solvency ratio, DB plans fell to an average solvency of 89.1 per cent at the end of the first quarter, from 102.5 per cent at the end 2019. Mercer’s pension health index also dropped, from 112 per cent at the end of […]