BBB-rated corporate bonds are becoming a bigger part of the Canadian market, according to an analysis by FTSE Russell. In particular, at the end of January 2020, the FTSE Canada one- to 10-year corporate BBB bond index had 326 issuers, representing $141.1 million in market cap, which translates to 29 per cent of the FTSE […]
While the OPSEU Pension Trust has been focused on responsible investing for some time, it’s bringing its sustainability activities to the next level with the introduction of a sustainable investing and innovation team. Launched in late 2019, the team’s responsibilities will include continuing to strengthen the organization’s traditional responsible investing activities. It will also have […]
Along with more traditional asset classes like fixed income or private equities, litigation finance is another area for pension funds to keep on their radars. With litigation financing, an investor provides an upfront funding commitment to a plaintiff to typically be deployed on certain milestones of a legal case, with the expectation of sharing in […]
With environmental, social and governance issues top of mind for many pension plan investors, modern slavery is one concern to keep on the radar. Historically, slaves were kept through force, but modern slavery is about forcing people to work through coercion and lies, says Sudhir Roc-Sennett, head of ESG and thought leadership at Vontobel Asset […]
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. isn’t annuitizing multiple defined benefit plans to get out of the pension business. In fact, the British Columbia-based integrated wood products company is committed to DB. “We believe we get tremendous value out of our DB plans around recruitment and definitely around retention of our employees,” says Elaine Jensen, the […]
Central banks’ actions have gone too far and they’re running out of tools in their toolbox, according to Erik Weisman, chief economist at MFS Investment Management. When interest rates are pushed to zero or into negative territory, people are deciding to save more instead of spending money on which they’re not earning interest, he says. […]
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. isn’t annuitizing multiple defined benefit plans to get out of the pension business. In fact, the British Columbia-based integrated wood products company is committed to DB. “We believe we get tremendous value out of our DB plans around recruitment and definitely around retention of our employees,” says Elaine Jensen, the […]
Against a backdrop of uncertainty, the OPSEU Pension Trust is guided by an investment strategy with certainty at its core. In 2015, the plan introduced what it calls a member-driven investing strategy, which is all about efficient risk allocation and earning the returns required to pay pensions at the lowest possible risk. “That’s different from […]
Since the value premium was originally outlined by Eugene Fama and Kenneth French in the early 1990s, has it declined or disappeared in the U.S. stock market? The renowned economists have released a new paper examining the value premium’s performance between July 1963 and June 2019. They decided to revisit the topic because the value […]
With a rise in big data and artificial intelligence, institutional investors are starting to look for staff with different skills. Much of the success in the investment management industry depends on managers’ abilities to analyze information in a systematic way and generate actionable insights, says Jason Stefanelli, director and head of Canada at William Blair […]