Morneau Shepell is upgrading its Stop Smoking Centre to help employees to do just that. Under its Shepell-fgi brand, this part of its smoking cessation services will provide users with tips, tools and a support network of healthcare professionals, as well as fellow quitters. “Whether you’ve tried to quit smoking in the past or are […]
There was some disconcerting economic news out of the U.S. this morning, with job growth stagnating and inflation on the rise. The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits crept back above the 400,000 last week, hitting a four-week high of 408,000, according to the Labor Department. Applications have been above 400,000 for 18 of […]
There was no mention of a third round of quantitative easing, but the Federal Open Market Committee has announced it will leave interest rates near zero until at least mid-2013. The Federal Reserve has held rates at just 25 basis points since December 2008. Until today, the Fed had said it would keep it low […]
Originally from our sister publication, Advisor.ca. A little volatility can be a good thing if you’re an active manager. Q2 saw 68% of active managers beat the index, according to the Russell Active Manager report. That’s a massive improvement from just 39% in Q1. The bar was set pretty low, as the S&P/TSX Composite Index […]
BMO Financial Group has completed the acquisition of Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp. (M&I) and is creating a new business called BMO Institutional Trust Services (BMO ITS), which includes the Canadian BMO Group Retirement Services (BMO GRS) and the prior M&I Institutional Trust Service business. The new business now has more than $72 billion in […]
Improved market conditions and regulatory changes are improving the funding positions of Canada’s pension plans, but challenges in funding will remain into the foreseeable future, according to the DBRS 2011 Pension Study. The study is based on the results for 479 DB plans, over the span of 2002 to 2010. Superficially, pensions appear to be […]
Employees hoping for large across-the-board raises in 2012 will be disappointed, as Canadian employers are projecting an average wage increase of 3.1%, according to the Mercer Compensation Planning Survey. Base pay is considered the most important element of total compensation for most employees, according to a previous Mercer survey, but only 53% said they were […]
Jovian Capital Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its exchange traded fund (ETF) business to South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Mirae,” said Philip Armstrong, CEO of Jovian. “Since our initial investment in this start-up company in 2006, the ETF business […]
Originally from our sister publication, Advisor.ca Things are about to get very interesting in the Canadian exchange traded funds (ETF) industry. RBC Global Asset Management has filed preliminary long form prospectuses with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to launch its inaugural offerings in the ETF space. The bank-owned asset manager’s entrance to the market will […]
Originally from our sister publication, Advisor.ca Alternative investments will increasingly become part of institutional and high net worth (HNW) portfolios. In fact, they are likely to blend right in to the traditional portfolio, supplanting traditional notions of what the portfolio core should look like. “Alternatives, at least for the next few years, are increasingly going […]