Bank of Canada Review - Winter 1995-1996

January 10, 1996
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BoC Review - Winter 1995-1996/Revue BdC - Hiver 1995-1996

Cover page

Canada, gold Maple Leaf, 1985

The Maple Leaf, which is larger than the circulating dollar coin, is part of the National Currency Collection of the Bank of Canada.

Photography by James Zagon.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
December 10, 1995

Developments in trusteed pension funds

Bank of Canada Review - Winter 1995-1996 Jacobo De Leon
Trusteed pension funds are one of the most important sources of retirement income for Canadians. They have also been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Canadian financial market. Trusteed pension funds play an important role in capital markets, channelling billions of dollars of their members' contributions into investments in financial and real assets. This article presents an overview of the trusteed pension funds sector. It provides a context for this overview by briefly presenting other sources of retirement income in Canada. It then examines the sources of the sector's rapid growth, including regulatory developments that have affected it, namely the increase in allowable foreign content and the adoption of the prudent person rule. Finally, it looks at the evolution of the sector's asset mix and how the sector interacts with capital markets.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Sectoral balance sheet
December 9, 1995

Survey of the Canadian foreign exchange and derivatives markets

Bank of Canada Review - Winter 1995-1996 Martin Miville
Since 1983, the Bank of Canada has conducted a triennial survey of foreign exchange market activity in Canada. The latest survey was done in April 1995 and covered activity in both the foreign exchange market and in the derivatives markets. The central banks of most other industrialized countries with active foreign exchange and derivatives markets also conducted similar surveys. This was the first time that markets for over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives were surveyed by central banks in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. The average daily turnover in the Canadian foreign exchange market, including foreign exchange derivatives, has continued to grow rapidly (by approximately 36 per cent to about U.S.$30 billion) since the last survey, although at a slower pace than during the 1980s. Foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives contracts dominate derivatives market activity, with equity and commodity derivatives activity being almost negligible in comparison. Through April 1995, daily turnover volume in Canadian foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives markets averaged about U.S.$19 billion and U.S.$15 billion, respectively, mostly in forward and swap transactions.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets