Reaching for yield or resiliency? Explaining the shift in Canadian pension plan portfolios
Authors: S茅bastien Betermier, Nicholas Byrne, Jean-S茅bastien Fontaine, Hayden Ford, Jason Ho, Chelsea Mitchell
Publication: Bank of Canada,聽Staff Analytical Note 2021-20, August 2021
Going green in the concrete jungle
Professor Sebastien Betermier and his co-researchers published a paper on financial and environmental solutions for sustainable urban development. Canadian pension funds are doing something right, and they outline strategies for other funds and investors to follow suit.
Professor of Practice Sujata Madan Receives Prestigious Academy of Finance Excellence in Teaching Award
The Desautels Faculty of Management is pleased to announce that Professor of Practice Sujata Madan is the recipient of the 2021 Academy of Finance Excellence in Teaching Award. This prestigious award is given annually to recognize excellence in teaching, to encourage teachers to share experiences that have led to them becoming great educators and how they continue to improve their teaching skills.
The rise of passive fund investments
Professor Laurent Barras joins the hosts of RikaTillsammans, a Swedish podcast and video series that provides followers with weekly financial insights. In this episode, Professor Barras discusses his research on the correlation between manager performance and fund performance. Whether a fund is actively or passively managed, its success does not necessarily reflect the skill of the manager, he finds.
Taking a deep dive into pension plans
In a Q&A for the Montreal Gazette, Professor Sebastien Betermier takes a closer look at the terms and metrics related to the funding status of a pension plan. The growth rates and termination costs of a fund, he emphasizes in the piece, largely depend on the type and risk level of assets owned.
Canada emerges as a leader in green bonds
Canadian retirement pensions are shaping up to be global leaders in issuing green bonds, or funds designated for environmental initiatives. Professor Sebastien Betermier views Canada鈥檚 commitment to sustainability as an advantage over other countries in growing both pensions and sustainability projects in the long term.
A new act for Cirque du Soleil
At the end of 2020, a creditor consortium led by Catalyst Capital became the new owner of Cirque du Soleil only months after the famed circus producer made a failed bid for bankruptcy protection. While Catalyst Capital has been plagued by controversy in the past, according to a new investigative article from La Presse, it offered a way out for a company that has endured a catastrophic year.
Predicting the future of digital currency
A recent survey found that Canada has the most cashless economy in the world, with most consumers using the credit card system. Professor Katrin Tinn joined CTV News Montreal to share her insights on the potential for the Bank of Canada to approve other forms of digital currencies, such as Bitcoin.
The pros and cons of digital currency
Professor Katrin Tinn weighs in on the ongoing debate about the sustainability of digital currency in Canada. In her view, consumers would benefit from a more up-to-date understanding of their spending habits, and the lending process could be streamlined. But the picture isn鈥檛 entirely rosy. Adopting digital currencies presents an inevitable security risk.
Building the digital currency space
Professor Katrin Tinn is at the forefront of the effort to reimagine Canada鈥檚 monetary backing system.
With the right innovations in central bank digital currencies, she believes, everything from paying taxes to earning income as an independent artist could become more reliable and more efficient.
Patrick Augustin, Associate Professor of Finance, awarded Canada Research Chair in Macrofinance and Derivatives
Professor Patrick Augustin鈥檚 research program seeks to foster our understanding of financial markets and public institutions, focusing on sovereign and corporate credit risk, insider trading, and new financial technologies. As these subjects are fundamental to the stability of financial markets and modern economic society, the proposed research is instrumental in guiding public policy design.
Volmageddon and the Failure of Short Volatility Products
Authors: Patrick Augustin, I-H. Cheng and L. Van den Bergen Publication: Financial Analysts Journal, Forthcoming; First published online May 20, 2021 Abstract:
The future of ETF regulation
Professor Patrick Augustin provides an expert perspective on questions surrounding the regulation of a Bitcoin-traded fund (ETF) proposed by VanEck Associates Group. While the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) deliberates, it runs the risk of making space for a digital shadow finance industry to emerge, says Augustin.
When sovereign debt becomes a problem
Professor Patrick Augustin and three other North American economists are ringing an alarm bell about the increasing risks associated with heavy borrowing at the state level. In their recent study of 30 developed countries and 30 U.S. states, they measure the effect of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic on the borrowing costs of governments.
Trust, Collaboration, and Economic Growth
Authors: Jiro Kondo, D. Li, and D. Papanikolaou
Publication: Management Science, Volume 67, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 1825-1850. Abstract:
