Canada’s defined benefit pension plans experienced flat performance in the first quarter of 2021, with the median plan’s returns declining by 0.2 per cent in the first three months of 2021 after rising 10 per cent through 2020, according to Northern Trust Canada’s pension universe. Read: Canada’s DB pension plans post 5% return in Q4, […]
The Nova Scotia Teachers’ Pension Plan returned 6.78 per cent in 2020, increasing net assets to $5.519 billion, but falling short of the policy benchmark of 7.96 per cent. The plan did outperform the actuarial assumed rate of return of 5.70 per cent. “Like many pension plans across the country impacted by COVID-19, we saw […]
Last spring, when fixed income markets in Canada were especially hard hit, exchange-traded funds proved their ability to continue to deliver liquidity, according to speakers at a recent webinar hosted by the Association of Canadian Pension Management. That lesser-known benefit is contributing to a change in the way institutional investors are using ETFs. “We basically saw […]
The percentage of global institutional investors implementing environmental, social and governance strategies continues to rise, reaching 72 per cent in 2020 according to a recent Natixis Investment Managers survey. That’s up from 64 per cent in 2019 and 61 per cent in 2018. Read: Expert panel: Investing in low-carbon economy will pay off for pension […]
It isn’t just asset managers who are increasingly embracing the integration of environmental, social and governance factors into investment decision-making. An important contributor to “record inflows” into sustainable investing strategies over the past 12 to 18 months is demand from plan members, as well as individual retail investors, says Eric Monteiro, senior vice-president, group retirement […]
Jennifer Coulson has been engaged in responsible investing and environmental, social and governance factors for two decades and remembers a time when it was difficult to get access to chief executive officers to discuss her concerns. Not anymore. Today, senior leaders have a much better understanding of the importance of ESG factors and actively seek […]
The exceptional rise of U.S. equity markets over the past year has been difficult for many institutional investors to watch because their long-term focus meant they couldn’t fully participate in it. But the rally truly was exceptional and there are indications it may not last. As the S&P 500 Index approached the one-year anniversary of […]
A recent ruling on federal carbon pricing sparked a lot of loud talk on both sides of the aisle, but the impact on institutional investors will be muted, says Monika Freyman, a chartered financial analyst and the responsible investment leader for Mercer’s wealth business in Canada. On March 25, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled […]
Since last March, the coronavirus pandemic has derailed the best-laid plans of many organizations, including the Toronto Transit Commission. With so many white-collar employees working from home, and worries about public health, it’s no secret the TTC’s ridership and revenue have been hit hard. Between the first and last weeks in March 2020, for example, […]
The Desjardins Group pension plan faced a reckoning following the 2008/09 financial crisis: its assets were down 40 per cent and it was watching other defined benefit plans transitioning to defined contribution arrangements. However, with executive director Sylvain Gareau at the helm, it set a new course. Today, it has $16.9 billion in total assets […]