AIMCo assets top $200 billion as public equities drive gains

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeFinanceNewsAIMCo assets top $200 billion as public equities drive gainsHealthy equity market offset private equity woes to help Alberta fund weather first half of year marked by trade uncertainty and conflictThe downtown Calgary skyline seen looking up Centre Street on June 16, 2026. Photo by Brent Calver/Postmedia filesAlberta Investment Management Corp. surpassed $200 billion in assets under management with a 7.1 per cent net investment return in the first half of the year marked by conflict in the Middle East, U.S. trade policy uncertainty and evolving inflation expectations.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe provincial Crown corporation that invests on behalf of pensions, endowments and government funds had $210.7 billion in assets under management as of June 30.Chief investment officer Justin Lord said the trade situation and other geopolitical and macroeconomic developments are front and centre for the globally invested fund, which has a strong presence in North America. About 40 per cent of AIMCo’s assets are invested in Canada.Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“A prolonged dispute, whether it’s in the Middle East (or) whether it’s trade-related, certainly could create headwinds for the Canadian economy, for the equity market,” he said. “And that’s something we’re monitoring closely.”Public equities were the strongest contributor to AIMCo’s performance in the first half of the year, benefiting from resilient corporate earnings and continued strength in AI-related sectors and global equity markets. The results were moderated, however, by private equity, where there was lower transaction activity and valuation pressure in software-related investments.“Private equity, perhaps even more so today, is playing a vital role in diversification across our equity exposures,” Lord said.“A number of of equity markets, be it global or emerging markets, are really reliant on a couple of very similar underlying themes with respect to where we’re seeing earnings growth and price appreciation contributing to that strong performance,” he added.AIMCo’s private equity program is focused on fund and co-investment, and Lord said the team is seeing a number of opportunities that align with the fund’s strategy, as well as an increase in secondary deal flow.Public equities and absolute return strategies make up the bulk of AIMCo’s portfolio, at 38 per cent. The balance is split between private markets and money market and fixed income.Lord said he plans to connect next month with “peers” and “partners” attending the Canada Investment Summit on Sept. 14 and 15, a conference convened by Prime Minister Carney that has a guest list of large global investment funds.“We do have a significant amount of our assets invested here across a number of different asset classes and, should compelling opportunities arise, we’d be happy to … underwrite those transactions, much like we would in any other jurisdiction,” he said.Lord said there are no hard targets or caps on AIMCo’s investments in Canada.“We have a strong interest in seeing, obviously, a competitive and attractive investment environment here in our own backyard,” he said, “but we do invest globally on behalf of our clients and … ultimately, our responsibility is to deliver that long-term return for clients, and that means investing where we see the best opportunity to create value over time.”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.AIMCo reports the long-term investment performance of its balanced fund, which is a composite of client accounts with mandates that allow AIMCo to combine asset allocation and active investment management to seek higher returns.Over four years, the balanced fund’s net annualized rate of return is 9.9 per cent. Over 10 years, the return is 7.8 per cent. The balanced fund’s net investment return was $13.6 billion in the first half of this year and $89.1 billion over 10 years.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.