Remarkable growth in the Canadian buyout market led to record levels of private equity investment last year, according to a report. Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association(CVCA)and research partner Thomson Financial say the total value of disclosed investments into companies made by buyout funds—which include pension funds—amounted to US$10.9 billion, more than double the […]
American pension investment portfolios will change drastically as companies respond to pension reform and try to maximize returns while matching liabilities, according to a report. “Changes in pension policy are being driven by a variety of pressures and these pressures are going to push different plans in different directions,” says Bob Collie, director of strategic […]
The tendency of pension plans to allow short-term investment considerations to drive investment decisions is not in keeping with the long-term financial interest of beneficiaries with a long-duration liability, according to a government appointed committee report. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy(NRTEE)says a short-term investment approach runs counter to the consideration […]
The private investment groups of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan(OTPP)and Ares Management have signed a deal to acquire GNC, the nutritional products retailer, from Apollo Management. The total enterprise value for the transaction is US$1.65 billion. “The opportunity to acquire GNC, a leading retailer of health and wellness products, complements our growing portfolio of consumer brands,” […]
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System(CalSTRS)has reached a US$105 million settlement in a securities fraud case against Time Warner, its accountants, banks and several former executives. “CalSTRS pursued this court action to safeguard our member teachers and all stockholders for that matter,” says Jack Ehnes, the chief executive of CalSTRS. “This is yet another example […]
Switching to a new and advanced investment strategy could potentially backfire on pension plans without strong governance models, according to Watson Wyatt. “The quick growth of alternative investments, such as hedge funds, private equity and infrastructure, might lead some to conclude that everyone can benefit from such tools, but that is not the case,” explains […]
The CPP(Canada Pension Plan)fund grew by $7.5 billion to $110.8 billion during the quarter ended December 31, 2006. “The strong performance of Canadian and foreign equity markets was the largest factor behind the positive investment returns this quarter for the CPP fund,” says the CPP Investment Board’s president and CEO, David Denison. “We are pleased […]
Understanding the diversity of the workers you have, the skills you want to attract, and the value employees place on benefits offered gives perceptive employers the advantage over the competition, according to Mercer. The key can be summed up in two words: flexibility and creativity. “By designing and implementing a flexible benefits program that includes […]
An unusual partnership of organizations, including Wal-Mart and two big labour unions, launched a campaign to achieve a new American healthcare system by 2012. The Better Health Care Together campaign has four key principles: every person must have quality, affordable health insurance coverage; individuals have a responsibility to maintain and protect their health; America must […]
Northern Trust Global Investments has launched a Quantitative 130/30 core equity strategy, which seeks to outperform the Russell 1000 Index. The strategy has a goal of outperforming the index by 4% annually over a full market cycle and enables the portfolio manager to take short positions up to 30% and long positions up to 130%. […]