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When is a delegated service model right for a pension plan?

In an increasingly challenging investment and regulatory environment, many pension plans are looking to a new model, delegating key investment management and service activities to third-party providers, said Ivor Krol, vice-president and lead of the institutional portfolio solutions group at Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. Speaking at the 2018 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in […]

  • December 17, 2018 January 20, 2021
  • 10:19

Economist doesn’t think recession is looming

In a world of volatility, with markets driven by trade wars, Trump tweets and talk of a potential recession on its way, Scotiabank vice-president and deputy chief economist is shining a light of optimism. “A slight slowing in growth is a very distinct thing from a recession,” said Brett House, speaking at the 2018 Defined […]

  • December 17, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 10:01

Is inflation coming back?

While no one can know for certain if inflation is coming bank, David Zanutto, senior investment consultant at Mercer, says that the risks of inflation moving higher have increased. He points particularly to low levels of unemployment, which could translate to wage growth and higher inflation. Other factors that could lead to higher inflation include […]

  • December 14, 2018 January 20, 2021
  • 08:17

Brexit and beyond: Where to from here?

The writing was on the wall that if British Prime Minister Theresa May brought her Brexit proposal to a vote on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, it likely wouldn’t have received the support needed to pass. So she decided to postpone it. Yesterday, she returned to European leaders in hopes of renegotiating the deal — but […]

  • December 12, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 08:06

How infrastructure disruption is shifting investor mindsets

Faced with technological disruption, plan sponsors may benefit from taking a shorter-term approach to infrastructure investing and focusing on multiple, smaller-scale projects, says Andrew Claerhout, senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group Inc. Infrastructure projects of the past were often large, essential service-related assets linked to government. But with the rise of technology and tightening government […]

  • December 11, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 15:30

Long-term stock exchange hopes to bring together long-term companies and long-term investors

In a world of volatility, where pension investors are in it for the long haul, could a stock exchange focused on the long term be helpful? The people behind the recently proposed Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) think so. In November the LTSE filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking to create a […]

  • December 11, 2018 January 20, 2021
  • 08:34

A shift in mindset: infrastructure disruption

Faced with technological disruption, plan sponsors may benefit from taking a shorter-term approach to infrastructure investing and focusing on multiple, smaller-scale projects, says Andrew Claerhout, senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group Inc. Infrastructure projects of the past were often large, essential service-related assets linked to government. But with the rise of technology and tightening government […]

  • December 7, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 10:41

Most investors expect bull market to end, but planning minimal portfolio changes: survey

While many investors expect the U.S. bull market to end in 2019, some institutional investors are planning changes to their allocation strategy or return assumptions, according to a new survey by Natixis Investment Managers. The survey found about two-thirds of institutional investors expect the U.S. bull market to end in 2019, while 70 per cent […]

  • December 5, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 09:00

Via Rail Pension Plan Case Study: Increasing allocations to cash

Via Rail’s defined benefit plan is maturing, with about 70 per cent of liabilities tied to retirees or deferred members. To adapt to this changing demographic trend in the current interest rate environment, the plan has changed its investment approach and doubled its allocations to cash, says François Quinty, director of investment management at Via […]

  • December 3, 2018 January 12, 2021
  • 07:59

Is herd behaviour influencing strategic asset allocation?

When pension funds share key players, like asset managers, actuaries and trustees, do they flock to the same asset allocation regardless of differences in liabilities? In a new working paper Pension funds interconnections and herd behaviour, Rob Bauer, Matteo Bonetti and Dirk Broeders from Maastricht University set out to see how much influence sharing key […]

  • November 29, 2018 January 13, 2021
  • 08:29