Defined contribution plan sponsors should consider Canada’s public pension system when designing their plans, according to a panel comparing the Canadian system to the ones in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden at Benefits Canada’s 2019 DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta. in February. Canada’s three-pillar system is comprised of old-age security and the guaranteed income […]
As the retirement savings environment evolves, the pension industry must be aware of the changes to move with them, said Zaheed Jiwani, principal at Eckler Ltd., in a session wrapping up the key learnings from Benefits Canada’s 2019 DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta. in February. These changes include shifting demographics, new offerings and consolidation […]
After December 2018 wreaked havoc on the markets, ending the year on a sour note for many Canadian defined benefit pension plans, most of the damage was reversed at the beginning of 2019, according to Mercer Canada’s pension health index. The index, which represents the solvency ratio of a hypothetical plan, rose from 102 per […]
One of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s investment priorities is addressing climate change, said Stephen Kibsey, the plan’s vice-president of emerging risks, speaking at the CFA Society Toronto’s annual spring pension conference on March 28. Specifically, the Caisse has a plan to reduce its portfolio’s total carbon intensity across all asset classes […]
While the term artificial intelligence was first coined in 1956 and has come in and out of vogue, it’s likely here to stay this time, said Paulo Salomao, managing director of asset management and pensions at Accenture, speaking at the CFA Society Toronto’s annual spring pension conference on March 28. An AI winter isn’t on […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. said on April 4, 2019 it will vote against the proposed merger of Goldcorp Inc. and Newmont Mining Corp., highlighting its disapproval of a $US12 million retirement allowance for Goldcorp’s chair. “The retirement allowance is almost triple the previously disclosed entitlement of US$4.5 million,” said the BCI in a […]
In a challenging 2018 market environment, the Ontario Pension Board finished the year with an annual investment return of 1.8 per cent, down from 10.8 per cent in 2017. “This return reflected the challenging investment environment in 2018, including slowing global growth, rising central bank rates that tightened liquidity and uncertain geopolitical events such as […]
At a time when making money in the markets is increasingly difficult, technology can provide an edge, says James Davis, chief investment officer at the OPSEU Pension Trust. “You need to have an edge, and the edge historically has been relationships and information asymmetry,” Davis says. “Now you’re going to need an edge in the […]
While factor investing can be a powerful tool, it may not be living up to its promise because of three common blunders, according to a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Portfolio Management. “Investors are typically led to develop their factor return expectations with little more than an extrapolation of the factor’s past paper-portfolio returns,” […]
Well-governed boards have greater international diversification and lower cash holdings, according to a working paper by Carolina Salva and Nadège Bregnard from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. “Why would pension fund board governance shape asset allocations?” the paper asked. “In our view, asset allocations are potentially associated to board inefficiencies that can arise when […]