British Columbia’s wildfires have crystallized the threats pension plan administrators across that province face from catastrophic climate change events, says Damara Kiceniuk, senior risk analyst of pensions at the B.C. Financial Services Authority. However, these fires are just one catastrophic risk pension funds have to manage. These risks have prompted the organization to release a discussion […]
An article on the federal government’s plan to scrap Canada mortgage bonds and the potential impact on pension funds was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds’ plan to discontinue Canada mortgage bonds may limit pension funds’ abilities to mitigate risk: PIAC […]
Approaches to climate scenario analysis are currently based on “implausible” assumptions that could delay action and create fiduciary duty challenges for investors, according to a new study by the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries. Sandy Trust, head of organizational risk at M&G, a global investment manager headquartered in London, England and one of the authors […]
The federal government’s plan to consolidate Canada mortgage bonds into the Government of Canada bond program could limit pension funds’ ability to mitigate risk through diversification, according to the Pension Investment Association of Canada. In an open letter to Finance Canada, the PIAC said the move may force institutional investors to choose between accepting lower […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging Retraite Québec to provide additional flexibility in the funding of municipal and university defined benefit pension plans. In an open letter, the ACPM requested flexibility to fund up to 100 per cent of amortization payments from the reserve, noting this change would allow for better management of financial risks […]
While a third of Canadians are very or extremely confident they’ll be able to retire at the age they want to, around 40 per cent are somewhat confident and a fifth say they don’t think they’ll be able to retire at all, according to MFS Investment Management’s 2022 global retirement survey. “Those stats for the […]
Misconduct can devastate the value of an investment. A recent study on the pervasiveness and scope of corporate fraud by Alexander Dyck, professor of finance and economic analysis at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, found securities fraud by U.S. companies costs investors about US$830 billion each year. For Canadian institutional investors, participating […]
“There’s been some tremendous innovation in fixed income markets, especially in the last decade. Technology has made transparency and liquidity blossom in areas that have traditionally been very illiquid, such as high-yield,” said Paul Benson, head of efficient beta at Insight Investment, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2022 Investment Innovation Conference. “Today, […]
When Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Pension Plan’s board introduced alternatives to its investment lineup in 2020 with an aim to improve the defined contribution plan’s risk-adjusted returns through diversification, it wasn’t its first time at the rodeo. The move came after 15 years of experience and comfort with alternatives through the PEPP’s defined benefit companion plan, […]
In 2022, normal was supposed to make a comeback — it didn’t. Just as supply chains began to stabilize, war broke out in Europe, China invaded Taiwan’s waters, inflation skyrocketed and central banks began hiking interest rates. While investments in renewable energy infrastructure reached new highs, economies that had been moving away from fossil fuels […]