The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is putting its investment dollars and its Teachers’ Innovation Platform to use for a cryptocurrency exchange. During a funding round hosted on the Ontario Teachers’ TIP, FTX Trading Ltd. received just over $420 million from investors, driving up the company’s valuation to $25 billion. The Ontario Teachers’ were among 69 […]
While 72 per cent of institutional investors are currently integrating environmental, social and governance factors into their investment strategies, 29 per cent are placing greater emphasis on ESG considerations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by RBC Global Asset Management. The survey, which polled 800 global institutional investors, found […]
The typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan deteriorated on a solvency basis but improved on an accountancy basis in September, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. Its monthly report on DB pension indices found the average plan saw its solvency index dip from 109.4 per cent at the end of August to 108.8 […]
When the coronavirus pandemic shook up the investment landscape last spring, Canadian pension funds were also jostled by the shock wave, with the Alberta Investment Management Corp. and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System among the hardest hit. And while the pandemic was an unprecedented event, such losses have raised the issue of whether Canadian pension […]
“Plans are, for the first time in a long time, in a position to off-load risk,” says Murray Wright, one of the contributors to LifeWorks Inc.’s monthly report on Canadian pensions. According to Wright, the principal of retirement and financial solutions at LifeWorks, pension chief financial officers are paying particular attention to one number found […]
The majority of climate-themed equity funds offer only marginal benefits compared to the broader market, according to a new report by the London-based think tank InfluenceMap. The report scored climate-themed and environmental, social and governance-themed investment funds on the basis of how well-aligned portfolios are with the environmental commitments made by governments, including the Canadian […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan returned 3.8 per cent in the first half of 2021, a significant improvement on its negative 0.4 per cent return in the first half of 2020. According to its mid-year report, the Ontario Teachers’ net assets grew to $227.7, up $8.6 billion from the beginning of the year. This is […]
Michel Charron has had a front-row seat for the revolution in the Canadian investment industry’s approach to environmental, social and governance issues. Following the foundation of the United Nation’s principles for responsible investment in 2008, his firm, PBI Actuarial Consultants Inc., immediately signed up. But the concept required explanation for some pension plan sponsors, he […]
The solvency status of Canada’s defined benefit pension plans dipped for the first time this year in July, according to a new report by Lifeworks Inc. The monthly pension indices report found the average Canadian DB pension plan saw its solvency ratio dip to 108.7, down 0.6 from the previous month. This is the first […]
Since target-date funds were introduced to the Canadian market in the early 2000s, they’ve become the dominant investment choice for defined contribution pension plan members. The funds, which are balanced with dynamic asset mixes that adjust as members approach retirement, are offered in a series — typically, one fund for each five-year target retirement band — with each fund […]