While equity markets in North America experienced a difficult October, Japan’s equity markets may prove an attractive alternative given their relatively dampened valuations and companies’ historically high profit margins. “Part of the reason why we’ve started to move on our preference to upgrade Japanese equities has been that we are starting to see earnings on the […]
The political congestion likely to stem from the United States’ midterm election results has equally mixed implications for equity markets, with Democrats taking a majority in the House of Representatives and Republicans making further gains in their majority in the Senate. “A split Congress may bring gridlock, but the stock market has historically fared well with divided […]
For the first time since the Financial Services Commission of Ontario began monitoring defined benefit pension solvency in 2009, the province’s DB plans posted a median solvency ratio above 100 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. As of Sept. 30, the solvency ratio reached 101 per cent, up from 97 per cent the previous quarter. […]
While the millions of voices on Twitter can feel chaotic at times, could collective opinion be harnessed to provide insight on equity investments? A new study by the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management believes so. Its researchers found that the aggregate opinion of numerous individual tweets before a company’s earnings report can successfully predict the subsequent […]
A contentious election in Brazil that’s held the attention of the global investing community came to a conclusion on Oct. 28, 2018, with far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro becoming the country’s president-elect. Canadian pensions have made some hefty allocations to the region of late. In the second half of 2018, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw a median return of 0.42 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, according to BNY Mellon Asset Servicing’s universe of 81 corporate, public and university plans. While not as robust as the previous quarters, the gains mark the tenth straight positive quarter, with the universe posting a one-year median return […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp., the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. and the Public Sector Investment Board have closed a previously announced plan to conglomerate their long-term timber investments. Originally announced in August 2018, the agreement affiliates timber investments TimberWest Forest Corp. and Island Timberlands Ltd. Partnership. Moving forward, the two organizations will continue as standalone companies, but share facilities […]
For nearly a decade, analysts have been considering where the next market downturn will come from and when it will strike. But with the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 800-point drop on Oct. 10, 2018, some asset managers are wondering whether it’s already begun. Amid the uneasiness, Sun Life Global Investment Management is pointing to a number of clouds […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust, together with British private equity firm Three Hills Capital Partners, has invested more than $89 million into ACT Commodities. The Dutch firm specializes in trading commodities related to reducing the use of fossil fuel and emissions of greenhouse gases. “In nine years, we have built the world’s preeminent trading house for […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec is entering into an agreement with Osisko Mining Inc. to acquire 9,259,260 common shares at $2.70 per share. “We are very pleased to welcome la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec as a significant shareholder in Osisko Mining,” said John Burzynski, president and chief executive officer of Osisko, in a press […]