Leo Kolivakis's blog

While we focus on the financial tsunami, it's good to take a step back and remember that real natural disasters strike everywhere around the world, leaving children orphaned and destitute. Please take the time to read about Petra Nemcova's inspirational journey to do something about real tsunami survivors.

Katie Piper's inspirational Christmas message and my best wishes to all of you. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.

More and more top hedge funds are reportedly betting on a big rise in bond yields. Are they right? Sort of, but the bond bears are mistaken if they think this is the beginning of a secular bear market in bonds.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board snapped up a Scottish shopping mall Monday, partnering with an English fund Hammerson on the $479-million deal. While the deal may have merits, CPPIB still refuses to clearly disclose its benchmarks for private markets.

The Alaska Retirement Management Board, a state agency, is suing Mercer and seeking $2.8 billion in damages...

What's the problem with modern economics? Here is an interesting exchange on methodology between Paul Krugman and Michael Hudson...

And there goes Copenhagen, another climatic bust...

In Whitehorse on Thursday, Canada’s finance ministers met to discuss the future of Canada’s pension system. No agreements are expected on how to enhance Canadians’ retirement savings. A pension summit is expected to take place later this year, but the public already knows what it wants: to retire with dignity.

Earlier this week, I noticed that PSP posted the audio that accompanied the 2009 annual public meeting. I will follow-up on last week's comment by going over the presentation given by PSP's President & CEO, Gordon Fyfe. Listen to the flimsy explanation given as to why PSP does not disclose their private market benchmarks...

A pension fund for fire and police officers has sued the board of Goldman Sachs, seeking to stop the investment bank from paying out billions of dollars in bonuses to the bank's staff. Will larger public pension funds join in on the lawsuit? I wouldn't count on it...

CalPERS may be paying a price for its decision to help financially strapped local California governments. Moody's Investors Service slashed the triple-A rating of CalPERS by three notches to Aa3. But the real story is how CalPERS' private equity and real estate portfolios got decimated last year. Will this influence future credit ratings?

Professor Samuelson was a giant in economics. His many articles, books and lectures are a true testimony to his intellectual breadth and depth. The world lost another great thinker today.

Just like football, life is a game of inches. As world leaders gather in Copenhagen this week to discuss measures to protect our climate, is there enough political will to do what's right for the environment and the global financial system?

When I hear people at the Caisse whining, I tell them to shut up and deliver the goods. Period. The Caisse isn't a charity. It's one of the largest pension funds in North America. The money managers and analysts there are treated like royalty, often spoon-fed by sell-side brokers (what they are fed, that's another matter).

There were fireworks in Ottawa on Thursday, and I am not talking about the Afghan torture backspin which leaves Tories squirming. Almost five months after revealing their disastrous FY2009 results, PSP Investments held its first ever annual public meeting in Ottawa.