After a tough couple of years, Canadians continue to face several challenges against an increasingly turbulent economic landscape. While most coronavirus restrictions were lifted in late spring 2022, the seventh wave of the pandemic arrived in July alongside rising inflation, which is compounding prices from the gas pump to the grocery store. Though the 2022 […]
Canada ranks No. 15 among developed nations for retiree well-being, down from No. 10 in 2021, according to Natixis Investment Managers’ annual global retirement index. The index, which provides an overview of the relative well-being and financial security of retirees in 44 countries across four indices, ranked Canada No. 11 in health, No. 12 in […]
The modern economy is highly uncertain, with inflation and rising interest rates cutting into bottom lines everywhere. Employers are nervous as the cost of capital and the cost of their inputs seems to rise every day. But employees are nervous, too. And since no one knows when inflation will end, it’s difficult for anyone to […]
The second quarter of 2022 proved difficult for Bâtirente’s diversified funds, according to the organization’s investment strategy manager. “As was the case in the first quarter, Bâtirente’s diversified funds experienced a difficult second quarter performance . . . [with losses correlating with] their risk profile,” said Jean-François Dumais, in a press release. The five diversified […]
While global institutional investors expect losses to continue in the fixed income market and are concerned that central banks may be too optimistic on the peak of inflation, they’re also finding good news in alternative investments and the importance of environmental, social and governance factors, according to a new report by Aeon Investments. The report, […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is reporting net assets of $523 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2023, down from $539 billion at the end of the previous quarter. The $16 billion decrease consisted of a net loss of $23 billion and $7 billion in net transfers from the Canada Pension Plan, according […]
The value of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan’s assets improved in July, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. An investment portfolio designed to mimic typical Canadian DB portfolios saw its assets grow by 5.4 per cent over the month. The value of the benchmark portfolio, which is composed of 50 per cent […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans’ assets experienced losses of 8.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2022, bringing year-to-date total returns to negative 14.7 per cent, according to a new report by RBC Investor and Treasury Services. It was the most significant decline since the third quarter of 2008, when assets also fell by 8.6 […]
The Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan generated net returns of 5.56 per cent during its latest fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2022. According to its annual report, the PSSP, a defined benefit pension plan for 41,000 current and former public sector employees in Nova Scotia, saw the value of its assets rise […]
Higher long-term bond yields driven by rising interest rates are lowering the cost of annuity purchases for defined benefit pension plans, says Mary Kate Archibald, a principal at Eckler Ltd. Since January, the cost of an annuity purchase has decreased by between 10 and 15 per cent, as long-term bond yields increased from 1.7 to […]