Factor-based portfolios that rely on Barra factors like momentum, value, growth and volatility don’t always cut it in Canadian markets, according to research by Pyramis Global Markets.
Preview of the 2012 Global Investment Conference.
Historically, equities have offered long-term returns, compared with other assets. This is known as the equity risk premium. The problem for investors nowadays is that equity returns are volatile.
Investors tiring of equity volatility can take heart; the markets will stabilize in the second half of this year, marking the beginning of a “modest” recovery, according to a white paper released by Credit Suisse.
How can institutional investors make sense of the structural shifts in the global economy? Eric Lascelles, RBC Global Asset Management’s chief economist, gave pension plan trustees an overview of the shifts—both short and long term—at the Phillips, Hager & North Trustee Education Seminar 2012 last week at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.
There’s a growing pessimism settling over the Canadian pension landscape, according to a recent survey by Towers Watson.
The world is facing a period of heightened geopolitical risk. Traditionally, we think of this as the risk of sudden, unpredictable events: coups, riots or revolutions—the political equivalents of earthquakes.
Canadians are renowned for their conservative approach to their finances, but a recent survey from CIBC suggests our collective risk aversion might be putting our retirement dreams at risk.
Emerging markets. For mainstream investors, the term evokes memories of the past, when many of the largest countries in the emerging world experienced bouts of volatility, elevated borrowing costs, currency devaluations, high political risk and episodes of default.
De-risking has become the holy grail of pension investment management.