The majority of global institutional investors are expecting 2018 to bring more volatility in both the stock (78 per cent) and bond markets (70 per cent), according to a new survey by Natixis Investment Managers. “They do anticipate volatility coming back to the market, and they’re really trying to make sure they’re positioned for when it […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec returned 9.3 per cent in 2017, an increase on its return of 7.6 per cent in 2016. While announcing the annual results on Wednesday, Michael Sabia, president and chief executive officer of the Caisse, said the portfolio reacted almost exactly as forecasted. He also highlighted the important transition period […]
Canada and the world enjoyed a particularly strong economic performance last year. In Canada, the unemployment rate fell to just 5.7 per cent at the end of December, while the World Bank estimates the global economy grew by three per cent last year. So with those positive results in mind, what should institutional investors keep […]
Robust equity markets led U.S. institutional investment plans to strong gains in 2017 with a median return of 15.3 per cent for the year, according to new data by Northern Trust Corp. The Northern Trust universe, which tracks about 300 large U.S. institutional investment plans, showed the median return for U.S. equity in the fourth quarter of 2017 was 6.1 per cent with […]
As interest rates rise, so, too, do investors’ concerns about the performance of fixed income. “An allocation to fixed income is considered a safe way to preserve capital and provide diversification against equity investments,” says Vjosana Klosi, director of portfolio construction at CIBC Asset Management Inc. and author of a December 2017 research paper on […]
Canadian defined benefit plans posted a median return of 4.29 per cent in the last quarter of 2017, a marked improvement compared to the median return of 0.55 per cent in the third quarter of the year, according to a report by BNY Mellon Asset Servicing. The firm’s tracking service, which consists of 88 Canadian corporate, public and university […]
While the majority of global fixed-income specialists see the global economy on the road to recovery, many have a significant appetite for alternative credit, such as real estate debt and bank loans, according to a new survey by Invesco Ltd. The inaugural survey interviewed 79 global fixed-income specialists, including heads of fixed income as well as chief investment […]
And why now is the time for global bond diversification.
Whether plan sponsors expect a bear or a bull market in 2018, if they’re in a position to de-risk their pension plan, they should do it now, according to two investment consultants who spoke at an event in Toronto on Thursday. “From our perspective, if you look at the world over the last six years, […]
Canada’s economic boom in 2017 surprised economists and supported strong labour numbers. Yet, inflation also remained dormant, “which created this Goldilocks environment and, therefore, very strong financial market returns for the year,” says Luc de la Durantaye, the head of asset allocation and currency management at CIBC Asset Management Inc. That won’t be the case […]