The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing $500 million in National Bank of Canada to support its acquisition strategy for Canadian Western Bank. The acquisition deal is worth $5 billion and will give National Bank a presence in Western Canada. Following the Caisse’s investment in National Bank, it will become the second […]
An article detailing a stark increase in the use of obesity medications among Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plan members was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Claims for obesity drugs increased 42% in 2023, 92% since 2020: report 2. How […]
Canadian-based fixed income assets rallied in the first quarter of 2024 as the likelihood of interest rate cuts from global central authorities increases, according to a new report by FTSE Russell. It noted improved inflation data helped boost the results from Canadian long, corporate and real return bonds in May. While Canadian high-yield credit gained […]
Unique natural events caused by the effects of climate change need to be considered in a financial organization’s risk analysis, according to a new report by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. The report examined work and recommendations of the task force on climate-related financial disclosures on climate risk frameworks for the Canadian financial sector. It […]
The University Pension Plan generated a net return of 10.2 per cent in 2023, up from a 9.1 per cent loss in 2022, according to its latest annual report. As of Dec. 31, 2023, the investment organization’s net assets increased to $11.7 billion, up from $10.8 billion in 2022. It also reported a funded status […]
The Medicus Pension Plan, a defined benefit multi-employer pension plan designed exclusively for incorporated physicians in Canada, reported a funded status of 158 per cent on a going-concern basis and a 115 per cent funded status on a solvency basis as of Jan. 1, 2024. The plan, which launched in May 2023, is designed to […]
Institutional investors are at the forefront of an infrastructure overhaul expected to be worth more than $100 trillion, which will be crucial for global energy transition plans, according to a report by IFM Investors. It found over the next three decades, investments in infrastructure equity funding for renewable energy and climate change adaption methods will […]
On April 10-12, the Canadian Investment Review hosted a group of delegates, including defined benefit plan sponsors, asset managers and academics, in Alberta for the 2024 Global Investment Conference. The three-day conference kicked off with a deep dive into key geopolitical risks affecting international trade that will have reverberations in global and regional investment strategies. As well, […]
Global powerhouses China and India will continue to heavily bet in oil and gas opportunities due to projected demand, despite the global push for green energy, said John Sitilides, senior fellow for national security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, during the keynote session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April. […]
It’s important for institutional investors to view risk mitigation as a way to improve the risk-return proposition and not as a way to express a bearish view on markets, said Rémi Tétreault, associate vice-president at Trans-Canada Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April. “It’s about performing well in a wide […]