The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s 2019 climate change report contains its first-ever, independently assured portfolio carbon footprint. Even as the plan’s assets grew in 2019, it’s overall carbon footprint fell by about 15 per cent, driven in large part by the sale of a particularly high-emitting private asset, according to the report, which was assured […]
Jim Hall is stepping down as co-manager of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s Canadian and global equity strategies to focus his full attention on his responsibilities as chair of the firm’s board of directors, effective Jan 1. 2021. Paul Moroz, who currently co-manages the global equity strategy alongside Hall, in addition to his role as chief […]
As private equity investments become all the more commonplace in pension fund portfolios, is the asset class really worth it? According to a paper by Ludovic Phalippou, professor of financial economics at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, private equity funds have failed to outperform equities over a 10-year period. But the real catch is […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board saw a 3.1 per cent net return for its fiscal 2020 year, which ended March 31. Rising to $409.6 billion in assets under management, the fund saw $12.1 billion in investment income and $5.5 billion in net contributions. However, the 3.1 per cent return falls short compared to the fund’s 8.9 per […]
The funded status of the Segal Group Inc.’s model multi-employer pension plan fell from 95 per cent to 86 per cent during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report by the firm. The model’s portfolio is comprised of 55 per cent equities and 45 per cent bonds. Overall, its investments saw dismal […]
Public companies are deferring long-term capital expenditure, pausing share repurchase programs and cutting dividends to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. But companies in the health-care and information technology sectors are proving to be more resilient, said Nick Getaz, vice-president and portfolio manager in Franklin Templeton’s equity group, in a webinar on Thursday. “At this point, […]
In recent years, investing with a gender lens has become far more popular among institutional investors. “Part of it is awareness and part of it is some of the performance,” said Jackie VanderBrug, managing director and head of sustainable and impact investment strategy at Bank of America Corp., during a webinar hosted by the Forum for […]
As earnings season ramps up, broad market consensus is seeking the middle way, suggesting the likelihood of a U-shaped recovery, as opposed to a roaring revamp or a genuine depression. “I think what the market consensus is expecting is reasonable,” says David Souccar, portfolio manager for international equities at Vontobel Asset Management’s quality growth boutique. […]
The coronavirus pandemic is hastening certain trends that institutional investors incorporating environmental, social and governance issues have been eyeing for some time. One trend is the democratization of technology, which Catherine Flockhart, a director at Baillie Gifford, says her firm has been positioned for in certain strategies. While many point to the sudden increase in […]
Canada’s defined benefit plans have had a rough quarter. According to Aon’s median solvency ratio, DB plans fell to an average solvency of 89.1 per cent at the end of the first quarter, from 102.5 per cent at the end 2019. Mercer’s pension health index also dropped, from 112 per cent at the end of […]