A weakening US dollar has eaten into the returns of Canada’s largest pension funds as annual reports revealed the currency shock forced a fundamental rethink from some investors around hedging practices. OMERS has pivoted from a policy hedging target to a more flexible approach fulfilling multiple objectives, while OTPP more than halved its US dollar exposure in 2025.
OMERS has warned that investors need to temper their expectations regarding the performance of more recent private equity vintages, as the favourable environment of high valuation multiples and low interest rates that spurred over a decade of superior returns begins to fade, said APAC head Ashish Goyal in Singapore.
Only two years into the top investment job at OMERS, Ralph Berg has made his mark, dramatically re-engineering the investment programs, adjusting the geographical focus and getting ready to buy as M&A markets open up. Amanda White reports.
Much can be said about Canada’s so-called Maple 8 funds and their pension models, which have provided stellar learning materials for the rest of the world, but OMERS chief executive Blake Hutcheson questioned whether bundling them all together is appropriate.
A group of institutional investors are collaborating to address the G7 priorities of climate change, gender inequality and the infrastructure gap, agreeing to commit resources and expertise.
Canada’s biggest funds are among the founders of the National Pension Hub, which aims to sponsor research that can help the industry, and has a plan for getting the right academics onto the job.
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