Pension Pulse

Chris Wellisz of Semafor World Economy reports  Norway will keep $1 trillion in US stocks, finance minister says:  Norway’s $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, will continue to invest about half its assets in US equities despite the economic fallout from the Iran war, Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said at Semafor World Economy. “We plan to continue to be a big investor in US companies and to have roughly half of our investments there, because the American stock market is so dynamic and reflects the strength of the US economy,” he said in Washington, DC on Wednesday. “But it makes us of course concerned when we see the consequences of the war in the Middle East, with increased energy prices that can increase inflation and push down growth.” Stoltenberg, a former secretary-general of NATO, said he believed tensions over the US-Israeli war on Iran wouldn’t prompt the US to leave the Atlantic alliance, as President Donald Trump has t...

Today, La Caisse published its 2025 Sustainable Investing Report: La Caisse published today its Sustainable Investing Report highlighting the results for the year ended December 31, 2025. During a year marked by global turbulence around sustainable investing, La Caisse remained committed – and even raised its ambitions after achieving its targets ahead of schedule. Last June, La Caisse unveiled a new 2025‑2030 climate strategy, with a target of $400 billion in climate action to accelerate the decarbonization of companies and the economy. The organization seeks to invest in companies that integrate the climate into their business models, whatever their activity sector, and to proactively invest in climate solutions . As at December 31, 2025, La Caisse’s climate action investments totalled $226 billion. La Caisse also made gains on several social and governance aspects over the past year. “...

James Bradshaw of the Globe and Mail reports  IMCO CEO not backing away from private assets despite recent pressure on returns: The market for private assets has changed but Investment Management Corporation of Ontario chief executive Bert Clark says he isn’t backing away from private equity or private credit in spite of recent pressure on returns. Toronto-based IMCO earned 7.4 per cent on its investments last year, missing its benchmark by 1.4 percentage points. The bulk of those gains came from its portfolio of publicly traded stocks, which rose in value by 19.1 per cent. Returns from private assets were muted, in keeping with a trend that has played out with other large investors. IMCO earned 5.1 per cent on infrastructure investments, 6.5 per cent from private equity and 6.7 per cent from its global credit portfolio, according to annual financial results released Thursday. Real estate posted a modest loss of 0.5 per cent, and is now down an average of 5 per cent an...

Sean Conlon and Lisa Kailai Han of CNBC report the S&P 500 slips Friday, but index posts best week since November after fragile Iran ceasefire deal:  The S&P 500 fell slightly on Friday, but the index managed to post a solid weekly gain as traders kept an eye on the fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. The broad market index dropped 0.11% to end at 6,816.89, while the Nasdaq Composite moved higher by 0.35% and closed at 22,902.89, bolstered by gains in key semiconductor stocks such as Nvidia and Broadcom . The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 269.23 points, or 0.56%, ending at 47,916.57. Still, the S&P 500 added about 3.6% this week, and the Nasdaq rose about 4.7% in the period. The Dow, meanwhile, gained 3% on the week. The indexes posted their best weekly performances since November. President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of “short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways,” saying in a Truth Social post ...