Institutional investors are grappling with historic levels of geopolitical tension, with multiple pain points contributing to a shifting macroeconomic landscape. But amid the whooshing sounds of headlines, quickly forgotten with the arrival of the next tweet, Canada’s pension plans are eyeing trade, interest rates and, ultimately, investment fundamentals, no matter which hashtags are trending. “Within […]
Against a backdrop of uncertainty, the OPSEU Pension Trust is guided by an investment strategy with certainty at its core. In 2015, the plan introduced what it calls a member-driven investing strategy, which is all about efficient risk allocation and earning the returns required to pay pensions at the lowest possible risk. “That’s different from […]
Investors are waiting for some of the conflicts causing global uncertainty to be resolved. But will they get their wish in 2020? “We’re entering the year, the decade, on pretty unstable footing,” said Dawn Desjardins, vice-president and deputy chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada, during the keynote session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2019 […]
When central banks took on the challenge of saving a drowning global economy during the 2008 financial crisis, pension plans appeared to have plenty to be thankful for. However, as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank embark on their latest round of monetary stimulus, these policy changes mean pension plans are now […]
Despite continued strong markets, global institutional investors are apprehensive about what 2020 has in store, with more than half of survey respondents saying they think the next global financial crisis will hit within one to three years, according to a new survey by Natixis Investment Managers. The survey, which polled 500 institutional investors, including 145 […]
While public equities appear to be holding steady, at least for the moment, certain longer-term indicators could give institutional investors cause for concern. “Growth is not at risk and inflation is nowhere to be found. And those two factors are likely to push central banks to become complacent,” says Florian Ielpo, head of macroeconomic research at Unigestion […]
While markets remain in the longest bull run in history, worries abound that the party has to come to an end. “Interest rates have been so low for so long, they’ve become the new normal,” said Mark Machin, president and chief executive officer of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, at an event hosted by […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans posted a median 1.7 per cent return in the third quarter of 2019, down from 2.7 per cent in the previous quarter, according to the latest RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe. In comparison to the same quarter last year, the returns represent an improvement, with DB plans posted a meagre […]
A defined contribution plan sponsor’s strategic decisions around asset allocation are far more influential to the performance of the pension portfolio than security selection or timing investments. “The strategic decision is very important in terms of long-term results and the long-term experience of your plan members,” said Chhad Aul, vice-president of portfolio management at Sun […]
It’s been one month since Peter Lindley, the OPSEU Pension Trust’s new president and chief executive officer, started the role. With an engineering degree and a more than 30-year career in finance under his belt, Lindley’s most recent role was president and head of investments at State Street Global Advisors. “When I went to work […]