While it’s generally known Canadian pension plans have a home country bias when it comes to fixed income, a new study by FTSE Russell suggests there’s an equity home bias as well. The report looked at the ratio of domestic and global equity for pension funds in Australia, Canada, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. […]
The debate surrounding how institutional investors use proxy voting is heating up. The contention hinges on guidance the Securities and Exchange Commission released earlier this year on the activities of proxy-advisory firms. It says that when proxy-advisory firms provide proxy-voting advice to their investor clients, it counts as proxy solicitations. That, in turn, means those […]
While public equities appear to be holding steady, at least for the moment, certain longer-term indicators could give institutional investors cause for concern. “Growth is not at risk and inflation is nowhere to be found. And those two factors are likely to push central banks to become complacent,” says Florian Ielpo, head of macroeconomic research at Unigestion […]
Canada’s economy is famously reliant on its rich natural resources, with a heaping helping of financial service providers thrown in for good measure. But when oil companies, mining outfits or Canadian banks are deciding how to invest the capital in their pension funds, does it make sense to steer clear of exposures that directly correlate […]
Canada has learned a lot from the U.K. Diversified growth funds, which began crossing the pond in 2008, are the latest import. But the funds still haven’t gained much traction over the last decade, though they do offer pension plans another option in their portfolio. A diversified growth fund is a fund that targets a […]
The Canada Pension Plan isn’t taking sufficient action to address climate change, according to a new report by the Corporate Mapping Project and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Specifically, the report said the CPPIB isn’t investing with the goal of limiting the global rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. “Within its public equities […]
With India attracting the attention of Canadian pension plans, what opportunities and risks exist in the country? Across all asset classes, 2018 saw US$47 billion in foreign investment transactions into India, according to Sanjeev Krishan, deals and private equity expert at PwC India, during the Canadian Investment Review’s podcast “Pension Passport.” And this year could very well surpass that number, he […]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s economic policies, known as ‘Abenomics,’ have led to big improvements in corporate governance in the country, says Iain Campbell, a portfolio manager for the Baillie Gifford Overseas Fund. While there’s been a lot of discussion about whether Abenomics is working, the improvements in corporate governance are coming through in how […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board saw a 2.3 per cent return, net of all costs, in the second quarter of its 2020 fiscal year for its base account and a 1.9 per cent return for its additional account. “CPPIB continued to deliver steady returns this quarter,” said Mark Machin, president and chief executive officer of […]
The majority (70 per cent) of global institutional investors agree that sustainability will play a more important role in investments over the next five years, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled 650 investors responsible for US$25.4 trillion under management, found this response was most prevalent in Europe (84 per cent) and Asia Pacific […]