Institutional investors are limiting portfolio diversification through overexposure to a selected group of U.S. technology stocks, says Alec Murray, senior vice-president and head of equity client portfolio managers at Amundi Asset Management. Since the beginning of 2023, he says, public equities have offered strong returns largely due to the performance of a concentrated group of technology […]
While real assets are largely absent among the investment options offered by Canadian defined contribution pension plans, they can offer significant long-term benefits to plan members, said Andrew Knox, managing director of Franklin Templeton Investments’ global real assets fund, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 DC Plan Summit in February. “[Defined contribution] investors in […]
An article on how remote and hybrid working arrangements are leading to a ‘Great Exhaustion’ was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Rise of remote, hybrid working leading employees to a ‘Great Exhaustion,’ says expert 2. Sounding Board: How employers can create […]
A quality investing strategy has some of the same benefits of a well-made pair of sneakers, said Ranjit Sufi, managing director and head of institutional services for Aristotle Capital Management, during a fireside chat at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. For Sufi, the importance of quality dates back to […]
With historic perceptions of emerging markets and equities no longer matching reality, institutional investors have the opportunity to scoop up good companies at low valuations, said Kamil Dimmich, portfolio manager for the emerging markets equity strategy at Pacific North of South Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. While he […]
The University of California San Diego’s Kroner Center for Financial Research is examining four research areas that can assist institutional investors in determining successful strategies that mitigate risk and generate alpha, said its executive director Michael Melvin, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. The think tank’s advisory council, which is comprised […]
As the objectives of defined benefit pension plans have evolved, so too have institutional investors’ reasons for including fixed income allocations in a portfolio, from adding diversification and offsetting negative returns in equity to liquidity management and capital preservation, said Ashwin Gopwani, managing director and head of retirement solutions at Sun Life Capital Management, during the Canadian Investment […]
Being systematic doesn’t mean overlooking the fundamental risks in the corporate credit asset class, said Scott Richardson, senior vice-president and director of systematic credit at Acadian Asset Management, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “What’s the risk? It’s a company — they make stuff [and] chose to fund themselves in a […]
Nearly a third (32 per cent) of U.S. institutional investors say they plan to increase their private asset allocations over the next two years, primarily due to diversification benefits, lower volatility and the potential to garner higher returns than public markets, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled more than 100 […]
While the University of British Columbia’s staff pension plan already boasts a sizable investment in alternative credit, it still has room for more. “Overall, we have a favourable outlook for alternative credit and intend to continue growing our exposure in 2023,” says Josh Kruse, associate director at UBC Investment Management. “Rising policy interest rates and […]