The number of global indexes increased 4.43 per cent this year, led by environmental, social and governance indexes, which grew to new records, according to a new survey by the Index Industry Association. Although overall growth for 2022 slightly trailed 2021’s pace of nearly five per cent for the industry, the number of ESG indexes […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw a median return of 0.27 per cent for the third quarter of 2022 amid a challenging economic environment, according to the BNY Mellon Canadian master trust universe. The universe, which is designed to provide peer comparisons by plan type and size, comprises 80 Canadian corporate public and university pension […]
From an economic perspective, the last year has been quite tumultuous. As central banks began raising rates to tame inflation, the loose monetary environment with policy rates held at historic lows evolved to a rapidly tightening one. In October 2021, the overnight rate was 0.25 per cent and the 10-year Canadian bond yield was 1.6 […]
A popular method for tracking a business’ carbon footprint over time creates the illusion of increased efficiency during periods of high inflation, warns Sudhir Roc-Sennett, head of environmental, social and governance at Vontobel Asset Management Inc. “The most consistent way [of analyzing an organizations’ carbon footprint] is looking at tons-per-sales units, usually the tons of […]
For the first time in three years, Canadian defined contribution pension plan sponsors, investment professionals and industry thought leaders gathered in person for Benefits Canada’s 2022 DC Investment Forum. On Sept. 23 at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto, the full educational day covered topics such as behavioural finance, target-date funds, sustainable investing, real estate and fixed income, […]
When defined contribution plan sponsors conduct due diligence on target-date fund providers, they’re often considering questions of active versus passively managed funds, the benefits of glide paths that glide to versus through retirement, strategic versus tactical funds and a provider’s approach to environmental, social and governance investing. But according to Sarah Donahue, director of consultant […]
While real estate has long been a part of defined benefit pension plans’ asset allocations, its inclusion in investment portfolios has steadily climbed in recent years. But defined contribution plan sponsors and members also stand to benefit from the asset class’ inflation-hedging properties, as well as its ability to boost income and improve portfolio diversification. Pension […]
Rising interest rates and market turmoil have called into question the ability of core fixed income to provide pension plan sponsors with its traditional benefits of stable returns and income, diversification and capital preservation. But Kevin Minas, vice-president and client portfolio manager of global fixed income at CIBC Asset Management Inc., said he actually expects […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is financing part of a renewable energy project in Japan. The investment organization is investing about $90 million in a green bond released by Vena Energy Ltd. The green bond’s proceeds will be used to finance a solar power project on Honshu, Japan’s largest and most populous […]
The majority (89 per cent) of global institutional investors are implementing sustainable investing, compared to 76 per cent in 2021, according to a new survey by FTSE Russell. The survey, which polled nearly 200 asset owners with between US$1.1 trillion and US$3 trillion, found 44 per cent said they’re currently considering how to incorporate climate […]