For institutional investors, valuation reviews will be critical in navigating equity market uncertainties, said Amy Chang, managing director and head of active global fundamental at the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “I think this focus on business quality and looking at individual opportunities is […]
While the majority (87 per cent) of defined contribution pension plan sponsors feel their members are somewhat or very prepared for retirement, only 63 per cent of members feel the same way, according to a new survey by Voya Investment Management. The survey, which polled 305 U.S. DC plan sponsors, 205 plan specialists and 500 […]
While fixed income has long had the reputation of being the conservative and stable supporting partner in the traditional balanced portfolio, unbundling fixed income into its sub-components presents opportunities for enhanced risk-adjusted returns, said Aaron Young, vice-president and client portfolio manager at CIBC Asset Management. When investors buy the FTSE universe bond index or even […]
Nearly a third (32 per cent) of U.S. institutional investors say they plan to increase their private asset allocations over the next two years, primarily due to diversification benefits, lower volatility and the potential to garner higher returns than public markets, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled more than 100 […]
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of large institutional asset owners say they plan to increase their allocations to private markets over the coming year, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled about 60 global asset owners, found among those planning to increase their private market investments, 50 per cent said they’re pivoting […]
While the University of British Columbia’s staff pension plan already boasts a sizable investment in alternative credit, it still has room for more. “Overall, we have a favourable outlook for alternative credit and intend to continue growing our exposure in 2023,” says Josh Kruse, associate director at UBC Investment Management. “Rising policy interest rates and […]
Nine in 10 (89 per cent) U.S. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’re expecting to completely divest their plan liabilities in roughly four years, according to a new survey by MetLife Inc. The survey, which polled 250 DB plan sponsors, found nearly all (94 per cent) said the financial impacts of volatility and related risks […]
Despite the prevalence of farming in its home province, the Alberta Investment Management Corp.’s agricultural portfolio is just 13 years old, the product of a 2010 investment in converted farmland held by Australian timber producer Great Southern Group. The properties proved too arid for tree growth and were converted back to croplands for canola, wheat […]
U.S. state and municipal pension funds are on track to miss investment targets and are unlikely to see meaningful improvements in their unfunded liabilities or funded ratios in 2023, according to a new report by the Equable Institute. The report, which analyzed trends in benefits, cash flows, contributions, funding and investments at 225 of the […]
In 2022, the typical defined benefit pension plan achieved an investment return of roughly negative 12 per cent. However, due to dramatic increases in bond yields and a subsequent decrease in pension liabilities, many pension plans ended 2022 with the same — or better — solvency funded level that they had at the beginning of […]