Two Canadian investment leaders endorsed a transition to clean energy at a virtual Davos World Economic Forum on Wednesday as more investors worldwide push for concrete sustainability commitments. Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said that politicians can help markets finance the transition to zero-emission economies by setting credible forward commitments. Canada’s carbon pricing […]
Two pension funds for New York City workers are pulling an estimated US$4 billion in investments from fossil-fuel companies in order to promote clean-energy use. Mayor Bill De Blasio and Scott Stringer, the city’s comptroller, announced Monday that the boards of the $91.4-billion New York City Employees’ Retirement System and the $77.4-billion New York City […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is committing to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The commitment includes the establishment of concrete targets for portfolio emissions as well as increased investments in climate solutions, according to a press release, which noted the Ontario Teachers’ will also ensure portfolio companies manage and report their emissions annually. […]
Environmental, social and governance factors are continuing to influence company strategy, financing and operating environments in 2021, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings Inc. It found financial institutions will likely continue to enhance ESG due diligence and exclusionary policies to cover a broader set of ESG issues and entities, as the quality and […]
With President-elect Joe Biden officially becoming the 46th U.S. president today, institutional investors are preparing for a return to traditional governance and increased market stability. While markets don’t often respond favourably to a change in administration, the return to “normality and transparency” in Biden’s policy and governing style will act as a counterbalance, says Matthew […]
For institutional investors keen to maintain environmental, social and governance commitments made in recent years, there’s a steep climb ahead. The Paris Agreement — and its call to keep climate change to a 2°C warming scenario — is shrinking the investable universe for those still seeking to align with its confines, according to a report from MSCI […]
An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel products. In a four-minute YouTube video, a group of students from across Ontario read a letter to their teachers, asking them to push the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to stop investing their […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is forming a joint venture with Greystar Real Estate Partners to pursue multi-family real estate development opportunities in target markets in the U.S. The CPPIB has invested US$350 million in equity to the joint venture for a 90 per cent stake and Greystar has allocated US$39 million for the remaining 10 per cent. Greystar will manage […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing an additional US$1 billion in Invenergy Renewables, a developer and operator of wind and solar projects across North America. The commitment, in the form of new investment facilities, will support Invenergy’s expanded development activities and continued growth, according to a press release. The Caisse began […]
After years of relatively stable appreciation in global fixed-income and equity markets, investors were thrust into dramatic turbulence in the first quarter of 2020, as COVID-19 sent shockwaves through markets. From Feb. 20 to March 23, the S&P/TSX Composite Total Return Index lost 37.20 per cent of its value in a mere 22 trading days, […]