Investors were already feeling the pressures of historically low interest rates. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. The Bank of Canada cut its overnight interest rate at the end of March to an all-time low of 0.25 per cent and announced a plan to spend $5 billion per week on Government of Canada bonds. This came […]
While technological change is accelerating at a rapid rate, the financial system isn’t keeping pace, says Campbell Harvey, professor of finance at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Traditional systems make it difficult for those trying to raise capital or invest. Yet new technology is coming to market that can resolve many barriers and dramatically […]
Vestcor Investment Management Corp. returned 11.76 per cent in 2019, with total assets under management rising to $18.5 billion, according to its 2019 annual report. The organization, which manages the investment and administration for several of New Brunswick’s public sector pension plans, said the long-term annualized gross pension fund return since it began its business […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario has sold its interest in Spanish electricity provider Viesgo to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. Prior the sale, the IMCO and MIRA collectively owned 60 per cent of Viesgo, while Wren House Infrastructure Management Ltd. owned the remaining 40 per cent. The initial investment in Viesgo was part of legacy client strategies […]
With the coronavirus-induced shutdown causing ripples in public and private markets alike, infrastructure assets took a hit in the first quarter of 2020 — and the worst may still be coming. According to data from the EDHEC Infrastructure Institute, infrastructure assets experienced a sharp drop in returns in the quarter. The decline was driven by […]
The Local Authorities Pension Plan is reporting a $3.4-billion loss in an “exceedingly difficult” first quarter, reducing the size of the fund by 6.5 per cent. The LAPP reported $47.2 billion in assets as of March 31, down from $50.6 billion at the beginning of the year. However, it said the impact on the fund would have been […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is adding €250 million to its previous investments in euNetworks Group Ltd., a European bandwidth infrastructure company. The cash injection is set to fund the company’s further organic growth, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate purposes. The company operates deep fibre networks in 17 cities in Europe. “We seek to invest […]
With so much uncertainty on the horizon, should pension plan sponsors be preparing to operate in a deflationary or inflationary environment? In the short term, the economic environment will be deflationary, says Hugh O’Reilly, executive in residence at the Global Risk Institute, noting demand is down because people are staying home and not spending. “And […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board are investing in WSP Global Inc., an engineering and design services firm, through a private placement of common shares. The Caisse is set to buy about $44 million of common shares in aggregate, while a subsidiary of the CPPIB is purchasing about […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board saw a 3.1 per cent net return for its fiscal 2020 year, which ended March 31. Rising to $409.6 billion in assets under management, the fund saw $12.1 billion in investment income and $5.5 billion in net contributions. However, the 3.1 per cent return falls short compared to the fund’s 8.9 per […]