Canadian Equities Rebound In Q2 2018, Driving Canadian Pension Returns Higher: RBC Investor & Treasury Services - Q2 Total Returns Gain 2.2 Per Cent While Canadian Equities Return 6.8 Per Cent

Canadian defined benefit pension plans posted a mild uptick in Q2 2018, returning 2.2 per cent, up from Q1 returns of 0.2 per cent, according to RBC Investor & Treasury Services All Plan Universe.

ADDITIONAL RESULTS

• Strong results in the energy sector propelled Canadian equities to return 6.8 per cent, reversing the Q1 2018 loss of -3.9 per cent
• The TSX Composite Index posted a 6.8 per cent return, compared to a -4.5 per cent loss in Q1 2018
• Global equities, impacted by trade war fears, along with central banks’ drive towards normalization of monetary policy, returned 2.6 per cent, up from Q1 2018 return of 2 per cent
• The MSCI World Index gained 3.8 per cent this quarter, versus 1.6 per cent in Q1 2018, while the Emerging Markets index dropped 6.1 per cent in Q2 2018.
• Escalating tensions with the U.S., the impact of taxing imports and the volatility associated with policy uncertainty placed pressure on fixed income markets, which ended the quarter almost unchanged with a 0.6 per cent return compared to 0.1 per cent in Q1 2018
• The FTSE TMX Universe Canadian bond index also returned a modest 0.5 percent return, up from 0.1 per cent in Q1 2018

HISTORIC PERFORMANCE