A new report is urging pension plan sponsors and other institutional investors to ensure the resilience of their portfolios in a number of different inflationary scenarios. The report from Mercer argued inflation rises spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and widespread monetary easing are balanced by several disinflationary forces, like globalization. Geopolitical tensions, however, could upset […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan saw improvements in its solvency position in May, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. An investment portfolio designed to mimic that of a typical pension saw its assets decline by 0.4 per cent over the month. Despite this, the solvency index, which provides an indication of changes […]
Diversified pooled fund managers saw median losses of 4.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s performance universe. While Canadian equities increased 3.8 per cent on the S&P/TSX composite index, the median return for Canadian equity managers was just three per cent. Significant losses were seen in the U.S., with the […]
In spite of overall losses, Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw their financial positions improve on a solvency and accountancy basis in April, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. An investment portfolio designed to mimic that of a typical pension saw its assets decline by 5.3 per cent over the month. Despite this, the […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans saw average losses of 5.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, according to a new report by RBC Investor and Treasury Services. During the quarter, DB plans saw their largest overall contraction of worth since the first quarter of 2020. In a press release, Niki Zaphiratos, managing director of […]
While a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan saw negative investment returns in March, it also improved on a solvency and accounting basis, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. Last month, the typical DB pension plan used in LifeWork’s monthly pension indices saw investments dip in value by 0.4 per cent as a […]
Despite rising concerns about inflation and the war in Ukraine, the funded position of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan improved slightly on both a solvency and accounting basis in February, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. In February, the solvency of the average DB pension plan rose by half a per […]
The funded position of a typical defined benefit pension plan decreased on a solvency basis but increased on an accounting basis in January, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. During the first month of the year, the solvency index, which provides an indication of changes in the solvency funding level of the average pension […]
Defined contribution plan sponsors are facing much more challenging market conditions heading into 2022, with lower expected returns across core asset classes and high levels of uncertainty around the pandemic, rising inflation and other market factors. “This is truly an exceptionally difficult environment to navigate,” said Som Priestly, multi-asset solutions strategist at T. Rowe Price, […]
The strong performance of domestic equites in the last months of 2021 helped Canadian defined benefit pension plans secure median annual returns of 8.9 per cent, according to a new report by RBC Investor and Treasury Services. During the year, Canadian DB plans performed best during the second and fourth quarters, with median asset growth […]