The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is becoming “more intentional about” its ongoing environmental, social and governance efforts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, says Jennifer Coulson, vice-president of ESG and public markets for the investment manager. Its 2020 annual report highlights the BCIs’ expansion of its carbon footprint reporting to include all asset classes […]
Purpose Investments Inc. is introducing a new longevity pension fund, which invests 50 per cent in equities and 50 per cent in fixed income. It can be incorporated into a defined contribution plan to provide plan members with an in-plan decumulation option, says Pat Leo, vice-president of retirement solutions at Purpose Investments, noting investors can redeem […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is one of two organizations investing a total US$940 million in Phoenix Tower International, a U.S.-based wireless communications infrastructure provider. The investment will fund the company’s expansion in Europe as well as further growth in new and existing markets. The other investor is AMP Capital, an Australia-based […]
Two experts weigh in on the merits and drawbacks of taking the traditional annuities route versus opting for the newer do-it-yourself option. Marco Dickner, retirement risk management leader for Willis Towers Watson in Canada Although annuity purchases have become an important pension risk management option over the last decade, a countertrend is emerging for plan […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans experienced flat performance in the first quarter of 2021, with the median plan’s returns declining by 0.2 per cent in the first three months of 2021 after rising 10 per cent through 2020, according to Northern Trust Canada’s pension universe. Read: Canada’s DB pension plans post 5% return in Q4, […]
As interest rates return to pre-pandemic levels, fixed income is returning to its role as an equities hedge, according to a webinar on Wednesday hosted by AllianceBernstein Canada Inc. “As we see rates rise back to where they were at the end of 2019, there’s gas in the tank for fixed income to play that […]
Inflation break-evens at multi-year highs and higher nominal yields are putting some upward pressure on real yields in Canada, according to a new report by FTSE Russell. The firm found first-quarter 2021 performance returns showed a sell-off in government bonds, led by longer U.K., U.S. and Canadian government bonds, as the reflation trade gained momentum. […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans’ funded positions continue to improve in 2021, ending the first quarter at their highest levels in more than 20 years, according to Mercer Canada’s pension health index. It found solvency ratios increased from 114 per cent at the end of 2020 to 124 per cent at the end of March 2021, with the median solvency ratio […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is reporting a total-fund net return of 8.6 per cent for 2020, a year which has generated mixed financial results for Canada’s major pensions due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The pension plan earned $18 billion in investment income in 2020 and its net assets reached $221.2 billion as at Dec. 31, 2020, […]
Despite adjustments to operations and investments during the coronavirus pandemic, Canada’s major pension plan leaders are maintaining a long-term view by looking ahead to a post-pandemic world. But we’re not out of the woods yet as Canada, and the rest of the world, are likely many months away from reaching herd immunity and thus life […]