Employers should be closely examining the underlying drivers of cost growth in their drug plans, according to a new report by Innovative Medicines Canada. “Typically, [plan sponsors] get their report at the end of the year, they’ll see a cost for their drug plan and they don’t know what’s driving it,” says Joe Farago, the […]
With the global economy recently experiencing some significant tailwinds, will that backdrop be enough to push emerging markets, especially Asian economies, to outperform? Signs of stabilization are peeking through, with central banks acting as the key heroes by providing stimulus, said Eric Lascelles, chief economist at RBC Global Asset Management Inc., in a webinar on […]
Toronto city councillor and new father Joe Cressy would prefer to spend his entitled weeks of parental leave at home with his infant son. At the moment, his wife is taking time off, but both partners are highly dedicated to their careers and it will be his turn soon enough. However, the city’s policy doesn’t fully […]
In an unusual move for an index provider, MSCI Inc. is urging the investment industry as a whole to incorporate environmental, social and governance issues into their investment processes. “Really we think there’s an urgency,” says Remy Briand, head of ESG at MSCI. “We think there are still too many investors that are not realizing that, […]
Institutional investors have been going back and forth about whether monetary policy will provide the tailwinds to markets it did last year or whether central banks are running out of steam. Monetary policy decisions by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other developed market players did plenty to bolster markets in early 2019, […]
When news hit that the U.S. military had carried out an attack that killed Qasem Soleimani, the major general of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, institutional investors watched as markets saw something of a flight to safety. Gold is currently hovering near a five-year high. Brent crude spiked to close to US$71 off the back of the […]
On Friday, a judge in Norwich, U.K. ruled that ethical veganism qualifies as a philosophical belief under Britain’s Equality Act, in a pension-related case filed by ethical vegan Jordi Casamitjana against his former employer, the League Against Cruel Sports. In late 2018, Casamitjana took his grievance to Britain’s employment tribunal, alleging he was unduly dismissed for raising concerns over the organization’s […]
When the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan started to zero in on environmental, social and governance issues, it began by asking why these subjects were worth pursuing in the first place. “We started this journey 10 years ago,” said Barbara Zvan, chief risk and strategy officer at the Ontario Teachers’, during a session at the Canadian Investment […]
Helping employees find meaningful ways to give back to their communities helps energize them, even during the busiest retail season of the year, says Chris Taylor, chief human resources officer at Best Buy Canada. “We have so many programs throughout the year, but like at many companies it really ramps up during the holidays,” he says. In […]
While an outsourced chief investment officer model may be the right option for a pension plan under particular circumstances, circumstances can change. Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Co. took on an OCIO structure several years ago, but changes within the company made the model less appropriate over time, said Wes Peters, the company’s vice-president of investments, during […]