When interest rates are low, how does this influence U.S. public pension plans’ propensity to take risk? In a working paper looking at the period between 2002 and 2016, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found, on average, pension funds take more risk when both risk-free rates and funding ratios are lower. Specifically, the paper’s […]
For the first time in its existence, the German 30-year government bond yield slipped into the negatives and it isn’t inconceivable that U.S. Treasuries could follow suit, said Joachim Fels, global economic advisor at PIMCO Corp., in a recent blog post. While negative yields have lately been cropping up in developed markets outside the U.S., […]
While many indicators point to the relative health of the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve is lowering the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of two to 2.25 per cent. This marks the first rate cut since 2008. “Markets weren’t surprised,” says Dec Mullarkey, managing director at […]
While there are signals that the global economy is slowing down, it doesn’t appear to be quite at recession levels. “That has major investment implications,” said Alec Young, managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell, in a webinar on Wednesday. Trade uncertainty is a big part of recent sluggishness in markets, he said. […]
Central banks seem to be changing their tunes, with the Federal Reserve expected to cut rates twice before the year is out, according to Manulife Investment Management’s third quarter outlook. The European Central Bank, noted the outlook, is also likely to take a move dovish tone, with additional monetary easing measures, including rate cuts, expected […]
For those worried the cycle is about the turn, it’s important to consider that there is no established length for a market cycle, said Avery Shenfeld, managing director and chief economist at CIBC, during a panel at a Canadian Investment Review and Benefits Canada Investor Insight Breakfast in Toronto on Jan. 10, 2019. Indeed, the […]
The Bank of Canada announced Wednesday it is holding its target for the overnight rate steady at 1.75 per cent. This comes after it also held rates steady in December 2018. “As expected, the Bank of Canada kept the overnight rate unchanged at 1.75 per cent and there wasn’t a big surprise in the message,” […]
Yesterday, the Federal Reserve announced it will raise the target range for the federal funds rate by a quarter point and dialed back its expected rate hikes for next year from three to two. “Over the past year the economy has been growing at a strong pace, the unemployment rate has been near record lows, […]
For pension plan sponsors interested in equities, the top two issues on the radar for 2019 are China-U.S. trade tensions and interest rate movements, says Scott Berg, vice-president and portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price Group Inc. China On China, it’s likely presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will reach a trade accommodation, he says. […]
Household debt and high housing prices are complicating an otherwise fairly rosy picture of the Canadian economy, said Stephen Poloz, governor of the Bank of Canada, in a speech hosted by the CFA Society Toronto on Thursday. The bank’s most recent rate decision, which took place on Wednesday, maintained the current rate of 1.75 per cent. […]