The value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds fell 3.3 per cent to $2.02 trillion in the first quarter of 2020, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Despite the quarterly drop, the funds posted a year-over-year increase of 2.5 per cent. Statistics Canada’s update noted the overall decrease in the quarter was […]
Market turmoil caused by the coronavirus served as a real-life test for bond funds and their liquidity, according to a new paper from the Bank of Canada. The amount of corporate bonds held by open-ended fixed-income mutual funds is growing, sitting at around 23 per cent of the total market of corporate Canadian-dollar denominated bonds, […]
Navacord Corp. is acquiring Cooke Capital, a group benefits plan provider based in Prince Edward Island, effective Aug. 13, 2020. The partnership aims to combine the two companies’ insurance and benefits lines of business, supporting Navacord’s business strategy to provide more robust product offerings as it expands its benefits practice. Read: Navacord acquiring Ontario-based benefits […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is leading a US$50-million series C funding round for Calgary-based 3D robotics supply chain company Attabotics Inc. The pension fund is making the investment through its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, along with existing investor Honeywell International Inc. According to a press release, Attabotics, which implements a combination of robotic shuttles and vertical storage to […]
Manulife Financial Corp. is appointing Sarah Miller Wright as head of Canadian operations. Miller Wright’s role will be to continue Manulife Canada’s work to reimagine how it interacts with its customers across all channels, improve the customer experience and drive business effectiveness. Read: Manulife sending employees’ kids to virtual camp She joins the insurer from […]
Guardian Capital Group Ltd. is acquiring a 70 per cent interest in U.S.-based investment management firm Agincourt Capital Management. The acquisition, which is expected to add almost US$7 billion to Guardian’s assets under management, aims to further diversify the firm’s assets under management by geography and investment solutions. “We’re very pleased to partner with the […]
The Investment Industry Association of Canada is calling on the federal government to make improvements to tax-assisted retirement savings programs, modernize the country’s employment insurance system and introduce a benefit training program. In its written submission for the House of Commons standing committee on finance’s pre-budget consultations, the IIAC suggested the 2020 federal budget include […]
During the coronavirus market crash, U.S. stocks with higher institutional ownership experienced worse performance, especially those held by active, short-term and domestic institutions, according to a recent paper. Institutional ownership of U.S. stocks has risen to massive levels, comprising 75 per cent of stock ownership overall, noted the paper by researchers at the University of […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board posted a 5.6 per cent net return for its first 2021 fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, 2020. The quarter saw the CPPIB’s net assets grow to $434.4 billion from the $409.6 billion it held at the end of its 2020 fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2020. The […]
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued additional reasons for judgment in a long-running unpaid overtime class action lawsuit against Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The court has followed up on its summary judgment decision from March 30, 2020, ruling the bank’s current overtime policy is illegal and unenforceable and that frontline employees who […]