Spring Finance Workshop 2025
The fourth edition of the Spring Finance Workshop took place from April 27 to 29, 2025, bringing together top scholars in the field of finance to explore emerging themes across banking, investor expectations, climate finance, asset pricing, and corporate decision-making.
Large number of Canadians are missing out on pensions
According to a report by the National Insitute on Ageing, there are around 200,000 people in Canada with registered pension plans who are eligible to claim them, but haven鈥檛. Often, the unclaimed funds stem from contributions made early in a person鈥檚 career that were simply forgotten about.
CCM Biosciences identifies novel enzyme activators with applications in longevity space
Founded by 51吃瓜网Desautels Associate Professor Anisha Ghosh, with over $25 million in funding, CCM Biosciences is developing novel therapeutics in longevity. Recently, the company announced that it has developed an enzyme activator that can restore activity to youthful levels.
Alberta-commissioned report on CPP withdrawal used flawed methodologies
When Alberta commissioned a report on withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan, the resulting document claimed the province was entitled to $334 billion more than half of the plan鈥檚 total assets. However, the method used to calculate that share is deeply flawed. If applied to other provinces, the combined total of their share would exceed the plan鈥檚 actual assets.
Challenges of adapting Canada鈥檚 pension model for the UK
In a Financial Times piece on the UK鈥檚 interest in replicating Canada鈥檚 pension system, Associate Professor Sebastien Betermier highlights concerns about the growing politicization of Canada鈥檚 pension funds. He notes that the success of the Maple 8 model relies on maintaining independence from government interference.
Making strategic assets available to pension funds would encourage more domestic investment
Canadian pension funds have a mandate to deliver steady pension payments to millions of plan members, writes Professor Sebastien Betermier in Benefits Canada. But that鈥檚 easier said than done, and the most cost-efficient way to deliver is by investing in a globally diversified portfolio tilted toward strategic assets.
US expansion plans head south for Quebec鈥檚 Autobus Lion
In 2023, the Quebec electric vehicle maker Autobus Lion opened a $150 million truck manufacturing facility in Illinois, but its expansion into the United States has not gone according to plan. Much of its 900,000 square foot facility sits empty, and the company is sub-leasing the space. Now, the company is on the brink of bankruptcy and working with investors to determine if it can be salvaged.
Crypto ETFs: Mitigating fraud risk through regulated institutions
Cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) allow investors to hold a variety of cryptocurrencies in a single investment product. While all of Canada鈥檚 Big Six banks now include some crypto ETFs in their portfolios, these investments represent only a small fraction of their holdings. A major advantage of ETFs is their ability to offer protection from market volatility. However, given the speculative nature of crypto means it can still be extremely volatile, even within an ETF structure.
When managing your portfolio, timing is critical
The impact of time in finance is decisive, says Benjamin Croitoru, Academic Director of the 51吃瓜网Personal Finance Essentials course. But people don鈥檛 realize how small decisions can make all the difference over time. Getting the timing right when you鈥檙e buying or selling stocks is one way that time plays an important role in long-term financial growth.
Students master finance at 7th Deloitte MMF Synergy Challenge
Students in the 51吃瓜网Desautels Master of Management in Finance (MMF) program showcased their financial prowess at the 7th Deloitte MMF Synergy Challenge on October 30.
For hedge funds, trade volumes have a substantial effect on investment returns
The timing of stock trades can be as important as the choice of equities to buy or sell. When trading volume is low, large purchases can drive up a stock鈥檚 price, raising costs for the trader.
Few university students study finance, but McGill鈥檚 Personal Finance Essentials course can help
Post-secondary students are at the cusp of earning professional incomes, making it important for them to begin developing good financial habits, says Benjamin Croitoru on a podcast with Moolala. Croitoru is an Associate Professor of Finance and the Academic Director of the 51吃瓜网Personal Finance Essentials, a free, online course offered in collaboration with RBC Future Launch and The Globe and Mail.
Canadian pension funds are already overweight on Canadian equities
Canada鈥檚 eight largest pension funds are big players in the world of institutional investing with more than $1 trillion under management collectively. Pressure is being applied for the funds to invest a greater proportion of their money in Canadian stocks.
Changes in pension funds portfolio management produce different demands for analysts and managers
Historically, pension funds managed their portfolios using a strategic asset allocation approach. Fundamentally, this meant buying a mix of asset classes with the highest probability of achieving the necessary returns, at a level of risk that was acceptable 鈥� or buying and holding. But since the mid-2000s, some large pension funds have adopted a total portfolio approach strategy, which seeks to maximize returns while keeping a portfolio鈥檚 volatility low.
A lack of strategic assets can be a deterrent to domestic investment for large pension funds
In 2023, the Government of Australia suggested that some of the country鈥檚 pension assets might be used to fund social housing or renewable energy. The idea received mixed reception, and to understand why, Lachlan Maddock of Investor Strategy News looked to Canada, where a group of business leaders called for pension funds to increase their holdings of Canadian equities.
