Pension Pulse

Josh Welsh of Benefits and Pensions Monitor reports plan sponsors move slowly on AI despite efficiency promise: Despite all the noise that AI is making in pension and benefits administration, several experts suggest its presence is smaller and more cautious than the hype suggests. According to Sean Liss, investment consultant at HUB International , AI adoption among plan sponsors has been uneven . Yet, while strategy-level use remains thin, record keepers have started applying generative AI to improve member-facing platforms , making benefit sites easier to navigate and investment content more digestible. The goal, from a plan sponsor's pe...

Barbara Shecter of the National Post reports pension CEOs at home and abroad hail summit as positive starting point: Global investors that came to the Canada Investment Summit over two days in Toronto this week did not pour money into the 167 project touted the deal book presented, but the head of one of Canada’s largest pension funds says many left armed with the intention to do more in this country. “I think if you came expecting to leave with a project in hand, you’re probably over-optimistic … (but) I judged, from the people I spoke to, that most people left with a really positive inclination towards coming back to do more,” said Jo Taylor, chief executive of the $303.2-billion Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. “There are enough real projects around to keep good momentum on the nation-building concept, and actually demonstrating to local and international investors there’s something to do now.” That was true for Annette Mosman, chief executive of one of Europe’s largest pens...

Sean Conlon, Chloe Taylor, Justina Lee and Sarah Min of CNBC report the Dow falls Friday and posts worst week since March as Treasury yields rise:   The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid on Friday as traders wrapped up a volatile week and navigated rising Treasury yields and elevated oil prices along with the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike in three years. The 30-stock Dow shed 95.40 points, or 0.18%, to close at 51,682.64. The S&P 500  rose 0.17% to end at 7,650.50, while the Nasdaq Composite  advanced 0.39% to settle at 26,522.55. Treasury yields increased , weighing on equities. The 10-year  yield, which climbed above 5% to hit its highest level since July 2007 earlier in the week, briefly rose back above that threshold after sliding Thursday. It was last up almost 6 basis points at 5.006%. U.S. crude oil finished the week relatively unchanged but remained above $100 per barrel. On Friday, West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.58% to settle ...

 Investing.com reports  Ares, PSP Investments form $2.4 billion U.S. logistics venture: NEW YORK & MONTREAL - Ares Management Corporation ( NYSE:ARES ) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board announced today the establishment of a joint venture to invest up to $2.4 billion in U.S. logistics real estate, according to a press release statement. The partnership combines an Ares Real Estate fund with PSP Investments, one of Canada’s largest pension investors with C$320.6 billion of net assets under management as of March 31, 2026. The joint venture will target cash-flowing assets in high-growth markets. The venture includes a seed portfolio of 5.2 million square feet comprising 14 properties across California, Texas and New Jersey. Marq Logistics, Ares Real Estate’s logistics platform, will lead sourcing and manage the assets within the joint venture. Marq Logistics manages a portfolio of over 2,250 properties totaling more than 655 million square feet. "This joint ...

Aman Malik of VC Circle reports  Macquarie bets on Maple Highways as Canada’s La Caisse cuts stake:  Australian asset manager Macquarie has sealed a $450-million (about Rs 4,300 crore) transaction to buy a significant stake in Maple Infrastructure Trust from Canadian pension fund La Caisse (formerly CDPQ). Macquarie Asset Management, through its Macquarie Asia-Pacific Infrastructure Fund 4 (MAIF4), has acquired 37.5% of the units in the infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) that owns the Maple Highways platform from La Caisse. The sale cuts La Caisse’s holding in the trust to 37.5% from 75%. The Australian firm has also bought a 42.5% stake in the InvIT’s investment manager and a 40% stake in the project manager, with La Caisse retaining a 42.5% holding in the investment manager but ceding control to Macquarie. According to a joint statement from the two investors, Macquarie has committed $450 million in total to Maple, including $150 million of fresh equity earmarked ...

The Canadian Press reports  CPP Investments and Brookfield launch $50B fund to invest in big Canadian projects: TORONTO — Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. have announced a new $50-billion fund aimed at backing critical infrastructure and strategic industry projects across Canada. The so-called Maple Fund will see the two organizations invest on a 50-50 basis, with each committing up to $25 billion in equity over an initial five-year period. The fund is one of the marquee announcements to emerge at a new investment summit in Toronto hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney in partnership with CPP Investments and PSP Investments, two of Canada’s largest pension investors. CPP Investments chief executive John Graham said Canada is entering a period of new ambition to advance major projects and build for the future, creating compelling investment opportunities across the country. “CPP Investments has the capital, long-term investment horizon and ex...