Investors and economists around the world are drastically changing their forecasts as the world enters another week of disruption from the spread of the coronavirus. Indeed, Scotiabank’s updated economic forecast suggests recession is inevitable in many countries, with global growth expected to average 1.3 per cent in 2020, the lowest level since the decline of […]
Since stock markets can turn on a dime, long-term institutional investors may find some opportunities amid the current chaos. It’s been a long time since genuine panic hit markets, says Greg Taylor, chief investment officer and portfolio manager at Purpose Investments. “Generally, markets hate uncertainty and, arguably, we’ve never had a more uncertain time than […]
If climate change represents one of the largest systemic risks the global economy has ever faced, dealing with its ramifications is going to move a lot of money. The world’s youth have taken to the streets calling on their governments for massive, co-ordinated policy change, but it hasn’t yet manifested. Any piecemeal regulatory shifts suffer […]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an $82 billion stimulus package to underpin several new policies aimed at supporting Canadian workers and employers during the coronavirus pandemic. “Public health should never hinge on financial considerations,” said Trudeau at a press conference on Wednesday morning. The support will come through a combination of $27 billion in direct […]
In a historic move, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its target range for the federal funds rate to between zero and 0.25 per cent on Sunday. The Fed is taking the emergency action in a bid to help alleviate the extreme economic disruption caused by the spread of the coronavirus. It said it intends to […]
While Canadian pension plans are looking further afield for real estate opportunities, are there fresh buys on the home front? Rental apartments are one subset of the asset class that Canadian plans should consider for domestic growth, says Jeffrey Olin, president, chief executive officer and portfolio manager at Vision Capital Corp. Millennials are growing up, […]
After a week that saw coronavirus worries wallop equity markets into correction territory, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 0.5 per cent rate cut on Tuesday morning. Following suit, the Bank of Canada cut its target for the overnight rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday, bringing it to 1.25 per cent. For the Fed, […]
The Dow Jones Industrial Average started the week by dropping about 1,000 points on Monday. Then on Tuesday, it did it again. For institutional investors grappling with such fully valued equity markets, a dip like this could represent a buying opportunity. But should they go for it? The coronavirus — worries over its further spread, […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System posted an 11.9 per cent return for 2019. The net return added $11.5 billion in value to the pension fund, pushing its funded status on a smoothed basis to 97 per cent. The double-digit returns neatly beat the OMERS overall benchmark of 7.5 per cent. “The story in 2019 is that there was […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec posted a 10.4 per cent return for 2019, well surpassing its 2018 annual return of 4.2 per cent. The jump represents $31.1 billion in gains for the fund, putting its net assets at $340.1 billion. “The portfolio delivered the returns we were expecting in a context where the market really took […]