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Reliance on premium technology stocks limiting diversification for institutional investors: expert

Institutional investors are limiting portfolio diversification through overexposure to a selected group of U.S. technology stocks, says Alec Murray, senior vice-president and head of equity client portfolio managers at Amundi Asset Management. Since the beginning of 2023, he says, public equities have offered strong returns largely due to the performance of a concentrated group of technology […]

  • May 16, 2024 May 16, 2024
  • 11:00

2024 Top 40 Money Managers Report: How pension plan sponsors are using the latest technology to maintain cybersecurity

In the fight against cybercriminals, institutional investors and other financial organizations are managing cybersecurity just as seriously as any other type of business risk, with standards that can accommodate the integration of new practices and assessment tools. “We’re finding that, pension plans included, enterprises more broadly are taking [cybersecurity] more seriously and putting in place […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 9, 2024
  • 08:56

Independent Electricity System Operator using diversification to beat volatility

The Independent Electricity System Operator’s pension plan is in the midst of a comeback from a period of heightened post-coronavirus pandemic volatility, with diversification as the key to its investment roadmap, says Jeannette Briggs, the organization’s director of corporate finance who served as chair of its pension management committee from 2021 to 2023. After conducting […]

  • May 10, 2024 August 19, 2024
  • 08:55

Demand for data centres rising as institutional investors seek to diversify real estate portfolios: expert

Data centres are becoming an important asset for institutional investors seeking to diversify their real estate portfolios. The data centre asset class was valued at an estimated US$301.8 billion as of 2023, according to researcher P&S Intelligence, which also noted the value is expected to increase to US$622.4 billion by the end of 2030. Indeed, […]

  • April 16, 2024 April 16, 2024
  • 11:00

How CAAT is supporting its ESG aspirations through responsible investments, team-building

As an institutional investor, Asif Haque knows the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan has a responsibility to meet the rising challenge of climate change through responsible capital deployment. “[We] have a gigantic role to play in using our ownership and influence to engage with companies on their transition to a low-carbon future,” […]

  • April 12, 2024 April 18, 2024
  • 08:55

Back to basics on investment glide paths

Simply put, a glide path is a calculation designed to support an employee’s desired retirement timeline through investments in a target-date fund. When an employee first joins a defined contribution pension plan with a target-date fund, they’re exposed to capital appreciation assets that offer the most attractive risk-adjusted returns in the wealth accumulation phase, typically […]

  • April 12, 2024 April 11, 2024
  • 08:53

IMCO returns 5.6% for 2023, driven by public equities

The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is reporting a net return of 5.6 per cent for 2023, with net assets increasing to $77.4 billion. The investment organization’s year-end report found public equities returned 18 per cent in 2023, followed by global credit (7.7 per cent), fixed income (5.9 per cent), private equity (5.7 per cent), […]

  • April 11, 2024 April 10, 2024
  • 09:00

Canadian pension funds seeking diversification in real estate at home, abroad: experts

Significant headwinds in the commercial real estate sector have impacted the number of transactions seen in 2023, leading institutional investors to pursue diversification at home and abroad. The totals for acquisition dispositions of office assets in 2023 were “extremely low” compared to the previous year, says Lewis Gascoigne, an investment consulting principal at Eckler Ltd., […]

  • April 9, 2024 April 8, 2024
  • 09:00

Where do Canadian institutional investors stand on calls for increased domestic investments?

A renewed call for increased domestic investments by Canadian pension plans isn’t surprising amid an ongoing discussion around the role of investment organizations in supporting the economy, says Malcolm Hamilton, a senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute. “I think it’s very natural for Canadian businesses . . . [that] focus on the Canadian economy, not […]

  • April 4, 2024 April 4, 2024
  • 09:00

New ISSB guidelines aligning institutional investors globally on sustainability, climate-related disclosures

With the introduction of new sustainability and climate disclosure guidelines — IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 — from the International Sustainability Standard Board in January, institutional investors now have the opportunity to gain alignment in measuring environmental, social and governance risks associated with their investment portfolios. Read: Research finds pensions struggle to determine metrics for ESG […]

  • April 2, 2024 April 2, 2024
  • 09:00