MFS Investment Management – Benefits Canada.com

Pension funds playing defence amid coronavirus crisis

mschmit — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 04:32:11 +0000

Despite several bumps in the decade since the 2008/09 financial crisis, the swift and brutal crash in global equity prices when the coronavirus was declared a pandemic sent pension investors reaching for their playbooks to implement defensive strategies to mitigate the damage. “People have worked very hard at just acting on the set strategies that […]

The post Pension funds playing defence amid coronavirus crisis appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

The case for eventual inflation

mschmit — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 08:28:23 +0000

While inflation never materialized after the last financial crisis and the subsequent economic expansion, this time will be different, said Erik Weisman, portfolio manager and chief economist at MFS Investment Management, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. After the global financial crisis, quantitative easing didn’t generate inflation because the […]

The post The case for eventual inflation appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Markets sending mixed signals leading up to U.S. election

mschmit — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 05:41:24 +0000

With U.S. stock prices exceeding pre-coronavirus highs and credit spreads nearly as tight as before the pandemic, investors are signalling overconfidence in the market, says Rob Almeida, portfolio manager and global investment strategist at MFS Investment Management. While polls and betting odds appear to be favouring a Joe Biden win, that doesn’t align with what […]

The post Markets sending mixed signals leading up to U.S. election appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Is inflation back on institutional investors’ minds?

mschmit — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 04:37:39 +0000

While massive monetary policy response didn’t drive inflation following the 2008/09 financial crisis, institutional investors are mulling over whether things may be different this time. The global economy has rarely seen such a swift willingness to engage with economic calamity on both monetary and fiscal levels, says Erik Weisman, chief economist and fixed income portfolio […]

The post Is inflation back on institutional investors’ minds? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Are markets being driven by FOMO?

mschmit — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 07:50:18 +0000

As central banks stepped into the market to fund operating losses, the ability to raise capital has usurped the natural function of markets: price discovery, says Rob Almeida, investment officer and global investment strategist at MFS Investment Management. Many companies have experienced an epic year raising capital because both good and bad businesses have been […]

The post Are markets being driven by FOMO? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

How will China play into Canadian pension portfolios as exposure inches higher?

mschmit — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 04:55:07 +0000

The rallying cry that China is simply too significant a part of the world’s economy to leave out of a well-diversified portfolio is about to be last year’s cliché. For the moment, the country remains the second largest economic engine in the world, but its stunning growth in just the past few years has investors […]

The post How will China play into Canadian pension portfolios as exposure inches higher? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Will yield curve control come to North America?

mschmit — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 09:19:28 +0000

With central banks targeting short-term interest rates near zero and engaging in quantitative easing, will they resort to other monetary policy tools like yield curve control to further stimulate the economy? Yield curve control is when a central bank targets a longer-term interest rate and then pledges to buy the required amount of bonds to […]

The post Will yield curve control come to North America? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

A look at the different paths to ESG integration in DC plans

mschmit — Fri, 08 May 2020 04:56:55 +0000

With environmental, social and governance issues becoming more prominent among investors, it’s important to consider what sustainability means for DC plans. Plan sponsors are facing somewhat conflicting objectives, said Christine Girvan, senior managing director and head of Canadian distribution at MFS Investment Management, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 DC Plan Summit in Montreal […]

The post A look at the different paths to ESG integration in DC plans appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

How are institutional investors weighing the risks, opportunities of the energy transition?

mschmit — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 03:21:57 +0000

If climate change represents one of the largest systemic risks the global economy has ever faced, dealing with its ramifications is going to move a lot of money. The world’s youth have taken to the streets calling on their governments for massive, co-ordinated policy change, but it hasn’t yet manifested. Any piecemeal regulatory shifts suffer […]

The post How are institutional investors weighing the risks, opportunities of the energy transition? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Are central banks running out of tools in their toolbox?

mschmit — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 04:53:56 +0000

Central banks’ actions have gone too far and they’re running out of tools in their toolbox, according to Erik Weisman, chief economist at MFS Investment Management. When interest rates are pushed to zero or into negative territory, people are deciding to save more instead of spending money on which they’re not earning interest, he says. […]

The post Are central banks running out of tools in their toolbox? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.