After navigating the unpredictable markets of the past two decades, some defined benefit pension plan sponsors could be forgiven for wanting to seek out some certainty. But a new threat has emerged in the form of rapidly rising inflation and the possibility of rate increases after decades of persistent lows. The consumer price index increased […]
Nature-based mitigants to climate change will offer attractive risk-adjusted returns to investors, according to a new report from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Natural carbon dioxide sinks, like forests, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. By managing these natural assets, investors can monetize the carbon absorption through the sale of carbon credits. “Companies looking […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is expanding the number of countries in which it will apply its most stringent board gender diversity proxy voting rules. “We have enhanced our gender diversity voting practice by expanding the countries where our 30 per threshold for female representation applies to include South Africa and New Zealand,” said […]
In response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, more Canadian public sector institutional investors are announcing plans to exclude Russian assets from their portfolios. The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario and the Ontario Pension Board will divest their portfolios of existing Russian assets as soon as possible. Efforts to immediately divest are currently impossible as […]
Canada’s pension plans are weathering the coronavirus pandemic, with many plans currently in their best financial shape in several years. The early days of the pandemic painted a bleak picture for institutional investors. Between Feb. 19 and March 23, 2020, the S&P/TSX composite index dropped by 37 per cent — the latter date marking the index’s lowest point […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System returned 15.7 per cent for 2021, a significant increase on its 2020 return. In its annual report, the OMERS said four key factors drove the outperformance relative to its benchmark, which was 6.6 per cent — its portfolio of public equities returned 20.7 per cent; its private equity businesses grew […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec saw overall returns of 13.5 per cent in 2021, its best performance since 2010. By the end of last year, the institutional investor’s managed assets reached $419.8 billion, up from $342 billion at the beginning of the year. The Caisse exceeded its own performance expectations by about […]
The strength of equities was among the factors pushing the transaction volume of Canada’s group annuities market to a record high in 2021, according to experts. According to a recent report by LifeWorks Inc., the total volume of group annuities sold in Canada reached $7.5 billion in 2021, up 70 per cent from the previous […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is publishing a green bond framework, which is aligned with existing standards in green bond and sustainable debt markets. Green bonds will provide a new tool in PSP Investments’ toolkit to support strong financial performance and responsible investment outcomes, noted a press release. It also said the framework will […]
The University Pension Plan is integrating diversity, equity and inclusion measures into its investment strategy. The pension plan sponsor’s responsible investing policy considers environmental, social and governance factors — including DEI — as essential to sound long-term investing, said Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer at the UPP, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada. The approach […]