Canadian defined benefit pension plans finished 2018 in negative territory, according to two new reports. Pension plans in RBC Investor & Treasury Services’ universe posted an annual return of negative 0.7 per cent, reversing gains from the previous three quarters of the year, and substantially lower than 2017’s annual return of 9.7 per cent. Canadian equities and […]
The name of the game is engagement, according to a new report by NEI Investments. In 2018, engagement with investee companies on environmental, social and governance factors was a major undertaking for the firm. It actively engaged with 118 companies on these topics, comprising 40 per cent of its overall equity holdings. “We are committed to helping […]
In 2018, investment in Canadian real estate turned out to be a broadly lucrative venture for the country’s institutional investors, especially when compared with how poorly equities performed during the year, according to Simon Fairchild, executive director at MSCI Inc. Speaking at an event in Toronto on Friday, Fairchild described how MSCI’s Realpac Canada property index […]
Institutional plan sponsors lost a median of 3.8 per cent in 2018, as losses in the fourth quarter of the year dragged down returns, according to new data by Northern Trust Corp. The Northern Trust Universe, which tracks the performance of about 300 large U.S. institutional investment plans with a combined asset value of about $925.7 billion, found […]
“Climate change is a weapon of mass destruction,” said Sandra Carlisle, head of responsible investment at HSBC Global Asset Management, at a panel hosted by the Responsible Investment Association on Thursday. It’s critical that investors, who are thinking about how the impacts of climate change present a genuine risk, broaden their perspective to include the multifaceted […]
While the role of data in equities management is important, human expertise is still key, according to speakers at the CFA Society Toronto’s 2019 equities symposium on Jan. 22. “If you want to beat the market as an active manager you have to believe you know something that the market hasn’t incorporated into prices,” said […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the government of Quebec are adding to their previous investment in electric vehicle charging company AddEnergie Technologies Inc. The Quebec-based company manufactures charging stations and develops network management software for other organizations. The Caisse and the provincial government initially invested in the business in 2016 to help it expand across Canada. […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is taking on a majority stake in B.F.B. Pty Ltd., an Australia-based agricultural business. Currently, BFB has taken on more than 441 square kilometres of arable land and operates businesses in grain storage, fertilizer, agronomy, livestock, farming and logistics. “We’re impressed with BFB’s team, performance and integrated business model, and we’re excited to […]
With concerns the business cycle is about to turn, more than half of institutional investors are reporting the intention to reduce their allocations to equities, according to a new BlackRock survey. Fifty-one per cent of BlackRock institutional clients surveyed stated they plan to decrease their allocations to public equity markets this year, up from 35 per cent in […]
The solvency positions of Canadian defined benefit pension plans declined in the fourth quarter of 2018 after experiencing gains in the first nine months of the year, according to Mercer’s latest pension health index. The median solvency ratio dropped to 95 per cent at the end of 2018 from 102 per cent at the end of […]