While there’s still a period of uncertainty ahead, the deployment of coronavirus vaccines is already having a positive effect on markets, according to a webinar hosted by FTSE Russell on Wednesday. In November, the global and U.S. equities markets saw double-digit returns following vaccine announcements by pharmaceutical firms Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca, said […]
The Municipal Benchmarking Network Canada is the latest organization joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan. The benchmarking collaborative, formerly known as Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative, established itself as an employer earlier this year and is now providing its employees with CAAT’s defined benefit pension plan retroactive to Oct. 1, 2020, said a […]
Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd. and Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. are de-risking with a $176-million group annuity buy-in amidst volatile markets caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal covers 750 retirees and beneficiaries and there will be no change for plan members, who will continue to be paid from the plan as before the […]
A lawsuit settlement on the other side of the world is reverberating around the globe as it increases the environmental, social and governance standards for a US$41 billion pension fund and potentially encourages similar legal action elsewhere. The lawsuit, filed against the Australian Retail Employees Superannuation Trust, known as REST, by one of its members, […]
Along with big risks comes the need for solutions and companies that provide those solutions, said Edward Lees, co-lead and portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. Although in the current environment the coronavirus has been top of mind, climate issues have not […]
The San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association implemented a simple innovation 15 years ago that’s added nearly US$1 billion to the fund’s total value as of Aug. 31, 2020. That innovation is “informed rebalancing,” said Arun Muralidhar, adjunct professor of finance at George Washington University, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference […]
After the global financial crisis, securitized credit was left with a bad reputation, but it may be time for investors to look at how the asset class has changed and the opportunities it offers, says Noah Funderburk, vice-president and portfolio manager at Amundi Pioneer. At its essence, securitized credit is a fixed income security with […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities is releasing a consultation draft of revisions to its pension plan funding policy guideline. The guideline provides direction on the development and adoption of funding policies for defined benefit and target-benefit pension plans, including best practices for plan administrators and sponsors. Read: CAPSA updates guidelines on DC plan payout, […]
Despite the low interest rate environment, it still makes sense for defined benefit pension plan sponsors to adopt a liability-driven investment strategy, said Serge Lapierre, global head of LDI at Manulife Investment Management, during a webinar it sponsored on Monday. LDI investing is a risk management framework, he noted. “It’s not an asset class or a […]
Now is the time for institutional investors to buy value, small cap and cyclical stocks and hold steady while the economy builds back, says Bill Callahan, an investment strategist at Schroders. Indeed, energy and financial sector stocks saw gains Monday as investors are rotating from growth and large cap stocks after Moderna Inc. released data […]