Reaching for yield or resiliency? Explaining the shift in Canadian pension plan portfolios Staff Analytical Note 2021-20 Sébastien Betermier, Nicholas Byrne, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Hayden Ford, Jason Ho, Chelsea Mitchell “Reach for yield”—This is the commonly heard explanation for why pension plans shift their portfolios toward alternative assets. But we show that the new portfolios also hold more bonds, offer lower average returns and produce smaller and less volatile solvency deficits. These shifts are part of a broader strategy to reduce solvency risk. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G1, G11
April 27, 2006 Monetary Policy Report – April 2006 The Canadian economy continues to grow at a solid pace, consistent with the Bank’s outlook in the January Monetary Policy Report Update. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
July 22, 2010 Monetary Policy Report – July 2010 The global economic recovery is proceeding but is not yet self-sustaining. Greater emphasis on balance sheet repair by households, banks, and governments in a number of advanced economies is expected to temper the pace of global growth relative to the Bank’s outlook in April. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
April 15, 2015 Monetary Policy Report – April 2015 Real GDP in Canada is expected to grow by 1.9 per cent in 2015 and 2.5 per cent in 2016 and by 2.0 per cent in 2017. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
January 23, 2013 Monetary Policy Report – January 2013 Following an estimated 1.9 per cent in 2012, the Canadian economy is expected to grow by 2.0 per cent in 2013 and 2.7 per cent in 2014, and to reach full capacity in the second half of 2014, later than anticipated in the October Report. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
November 16, 1999 The Corporate Bond Market in Canada Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1999 Martin Miville, André Bernier The Canadian corporate bond market has experienced a renaissance, in recent years, against a background of low inflation, reduced public borrowing, and the lowest levels of long-term interest rates in a generation. The authors examine the influences shaping the market and also compare the Canadian market with those of other countries. The increased level of activity in the market has been accompanied by the development of new products and by greater investor interest in instruments with higher returns and higher credit risk. A more dynamic Canadian corporate bond market is a welcome development since it offers borrowers an alternative source of funds, especially companies that have typically relied on the banking system and on the U.S. corporate bond market for financings involving higher levels of credit risk. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets
November 11, 1996 Productivity growth in the commercial service sector Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1996 Dinah Maclean For over three decades, measured productivity growth in the commercial service sector has consistently lagged behind that of the goods-producing sector. At the same time, the service sector has greatly expanded its share of output and employment. Some commentators have suggested that this trend will reduce growth in total economy-wide productivity. In this article, the author reviews recent trends in productivity growth in services and the main factors affecting it. She concludes that services will likely contribute to increases in future productivity growth. There is a great diversity of experience within the service sector. While productivity is falling in some industries, factors such as technological change, deregulation, and increased competition have helped to increase it in others. Moreover, much of the growth in commercial service output is occurring in those industries with relatively high productivity growth. Difficulties in measuring output for some service activities may also be resulting in underestimation of output and productivity growth. To the extent that services are used as intermediate inputs in the production of goods, underestimating productivity growth in the service industry would cause an offsetting overestimation of productivity growth in goods-producing industries. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Productivity
October 19, 2006 Monetary Policy Report – October 2006 The Canadian economy continues to operate just above its full production capacity, and the near-term outlook for core inflation has moved slightly higher. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
December 6, 2012 Financial System Review - December 2012 The Governing Council judges that the risks to the stability of Canada’s financial system remain high, as they were at the time of the June FSR. The sources of the key risks are similar to those highlighted in June, and emanate primarily from the external environment. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial Stability Report
Security of a CBDC Staff Analytical Note 2020-11 Cyrus Minwalla Security is an important element in ensuring public confidence in a central bank digital currency (CBDC). This note highlights the required security properties of a CBDC system and the challenges encountered with existing solutions, should the Bank of Canada choose to issue one. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Central bank research, Digital currencies and fintech JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E5, E51, O, O3, O31