portfolio construction – Benefits Canada.com

2024 Global Investment Conference: How the risk-return proposition can help portfolios perform well in a variety of market conditions

lbailey — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:58:09 +0000

It’s important for institutional investors to view risk mitigation as a way to improve the risk-return proposition and not as a way to express a bearish view on markets, said Rémi Tétreault, associate vice-president at Trans-Canada Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April. “It’s about performing well in a wide […]

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Pulling Simon Fraser University’s endowment funds back from the brink

bwolfe — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:51:33 +0000

Jacky Shen suspects he was the oldest intern Simon Fraser University’s treasury department ever had. It was 2007, he was in his early 40s, had just arrived in Canada with his family and was studying for a master’s degree in the university’s wealth management program. As an intern, Shen — now the university’s treasurer and […]

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2022 IIC coverage: Pension funds urged to leverage value, profitability model

lbailey — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 12:48:59 +0000

Value and profitability are inextricably linked and, when they’re combined in a portfolio, institutional investors can garner a healthy premium, said Sunil Wahal, professor of finance at Arizona State University, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2022 Investment Innovation Conference. He likened the investment approach to building a hockey team, noting the goal […]

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Via Rail Canada restructuring fixed income allocations in response to challenging markets

Gideon Scanlon — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:51:15 +0000

The Adirondack 46ers isn’t for the faint of heart — joining the club requires hiking 250 kilometres to reach the top of the 46 highest peaks in New York state. “What did it take? Perseverance, training and an ability to remain focused on an objective that is far away,” says François Quinty, director of investment […]

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The pros and cons of opting for a 60/40 balanced portfolio strategy

ANNA CAMPION — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:53:08 +0000

While the typical balanced fund is becoming a rarity among pension plans, a segment of plan sponsors continue to utilize these funds — albeit with added diversification. Traditionally, such funds have invested 60 per cent in equities and 40 per cent in bonds. But with investment options for pension plans expanding over the last 20 […]

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91% of institutional investors say pandemic will lead to a global recession: survey

mschmit — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:15:19 +0000

A majority (79 per cent) of institutional investors see a global economic slowdown as the top threat to their portfolios in the next 12 months, according to a new survey by Schroders. Prompted by coronavirus-related concerns, it’s a big jump from the 49 per cent of respondents that said the same in 2019. Those concerns are also […]

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UTAM looks under the hood at investment managers’ ESG approaches

mschmit — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 04:53:14 +0000

Environmental, social and governance issues are key for many Canadian pension plans, but taking meaningful action is easier said than done, especially at small and mid-sized organizations. With a team of about 30 people, the University of Toronto Asset Management Corp. managed more than $11 billion of the university’s endowment, pension plan and short-term working […]

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Is inflation back on institutional investors’ minds?

mschmit — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 05:15:19 +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 manager at MFS […]

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Private equity activity slumps in Q1: report

mschmit — Mon, 25 May 2020 04:45:09 +0000

With volatility rattling public markets, fundraising for private equity deals took a tumble during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report by the Callan Institute, which found fund closing dropped 39 per cent since the last quarter of 2019, while commitments were down 37 per cent. Many institutional investors suddenly find themselves over-allocated to […]

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IMCO reaches more than $70 billion AUM in 2019

mschmit — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 05:00:01 +0000

The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario reached $70.3 billion in assets under management at the end of 2019, up from $63.3 billion at the end of 2018. In its latest annual report, the organization, which manages assets for certain broader public sector institutions, shared its growth in assets under management, but didn’t report its 2019 investment returns. “It’s important […]

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