Returns from short-term Government of Canada bonds and credit are rising due to the easing of interest rates by the Bank of Canada last month, according to a new report from FTSE Russell. It noted while Canadian government bonds across all maturities rallied, the gains didn’t erase overall losses in the second quarter, except for […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans remained flat in the second quarter of 2024, compared to the previous quarter, according to a report by Mercer. The report, which tracked 450 DB pension plans, found the median solvency ratio was 118 per cent, as at June 28, 2024, the same as at […]
The funded ratio of U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plans declined to 98.5 per cent in fiscal 2023 from 99.4 per cent in 2022, according to a new report by Milliman Inc. The report, which reviews the financial disclosures of the 100 largest U.S. public corporate DB plans, found their average return on investments was […]
Vestcor Corp. is reporting a 7.5 per cent return for 2023, despite the challenges of rising inflation and high interest rates. The New Brunswick-based investment organization achieved five- and 10-year annualized returns of 6.27 per cent and 6.73 per cent, respectively. In a press release, Vestcor noted these returns ensure its clients continue meeting their […]
Employer-sponsored retirement plans that offer matching contributions can help younger workers retire earlier and with more money, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. The report based its findings on a sample worker aged 30 earning $70,000 and with $30,000 of personal debt, using five per cent of their income to either pay down […]
Canadian employees who rent or who have mortgage payments are managing economic pressures — like high interest rates and the rising cost of living — by putting off saving for retirement, according to a new survey by Co‑operators Financial Services Ltd. The survey, which polled 1,500 Canadian employees, found 77 per cent of renters said they […]
Interest rate levels are critically important to the financial health of defined benefit pension plans. Many DB plans are in their best financial positions in decades, largely due to the dramatic rise in interest rates over the past few years, but decreases in interest rates could pose a major risk for many plans. Changes in […]
As a majority (84 per cent) of Canadian employers say they’re concerned about an emerging retirement income crisis, they also agree that, without access to employer-sponsored pension plans, workers will become a burden on the taxpayer (82 per cent) and the economy will suffer (79 per cent), according to a new survey by the Healthcare […]
Institutional investors don’t have to wait for choppy waters to invest in event-driven credit, according to Duncan Farley, portfolio manager on the BlueRay fixed income team at RBC Global Asset Management, speaking during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. While the post-pandemic economy has negatively affected several industries, opportunities always exist for investors to […]
The current economic maelstrom, with its high inflation and interest rates, has left many institutional investors operating in uncharted territory — though not Rashid Maqsood, vice-president of treasury at electrical products distributor Rexel North America Inc. His career began in the late 1970s — almost a decade before central banks began setting inflation targets. “It’s […]