AIMCo Gains 12.3% in 2024

Alberta Investment Management Corp. reported a 12.3-per-cent return across its funds in 2024 but fell short of its internal benchmark of 13.8 per cent, capping off a year that ended in turmoil when Alberta’s government dismissed the pension fund manager’s board and CEO.
AIMCo’s balanced fund – which reflects a typical mix of assets for its 17 client funds, which have varying objectives and tolerance for risk – gained 12.6 per cent in the year that ended Dec. 31, falling short of its benchmark of 13.4 per cent.
Over a four-year span, however, AIMCo earned an average of 7.8 per cent annually and added $35-billion to the fund, beating its benchmark over that period by 1.7 percentage points. That raised the fund’s average return over 10 years to 7.4 per cent.
AIMCo invests on behalf of 17 pension, endowment, insurance and government clients in Alberta. Its total assets increased to $179.6-billion, compared with $160.6-billion a year earlier.
The fund’s 2024 performance is the final measure of the three-and-a-half year tenure of former chief executive officer Evan Siddall, who joined AIMCo in 2021 and was working on a multiyear transformation plan for the organization when he was ousted in a sweeping purge last November.
AIMCo’s interim CEO Ray Gilmour, who left a senior civil service post in Alberta’s government in November to help to lead the pension fund manager, said that “with its focus on long-term strategy, the AIMCo team delivered strong results for our clients during 2024,“ in a news release.
“This progress is a testament to the team’s ability to evaluate and seize opportunities, while skillfully navigating the volatile global investment landscape,” Mr. Gilmour said.
AIMCo did not make any senior executive available for an interview on Thursday, and neither Mr. Gilmour nor board chair and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper have spoken publicly about their plans for the pension fund since they were appointed late last year.
AIMCo’s strongest gains last year came from its investments in publicly traded stocks, which earned a return of 24.7 per cent. The fund’s global head of public markets, Justin Lord, said 2024 was “another exceptional year for returns from public markets,” in a news release.
The private debt and loan portfolio gained 8.7 per cent, while money market and fixed income funds were up 4.6 per cent.
Infrastructure assets gained 12 per cent and private equity returns followed closely at 11.8 per cent. But AIMCo’s real estate portfolio reported a 2-per-cent loss, facing “difficult market conditions during 2024, particularly in the office sector,” said global head of private equity Peter Teti, in the news release.
When Alberta’s government overhauled AIMCo’s leadership late last year, Finance Minister Nate Horner said the changes were aimed at “restoring confidence” in AIMCo, controlling costs and improving performance.
The pension fund manager’s former interim board chair and other outside pension experts have questioned that rationale, suggesting that AIMCo’s costs and financial performance were consistent with industry standards and often beat internal benchmarks.
In February, AIMCo announced it is closing offices in Singapore and New York little more than a year after it opened them to cut costs, choosing instead to pursue global investment opportunities from its London office.
AIMCo will publish full details of its financial performance, including a breakdown of its 2024 costs, in its annual report in June. Though AIMCo releases details of its investment performance for the calendar year, its fiscal year ends March 31.
Barbara Shecter of the National Post also reports AIMCo posts double-digit return after board and CEO purge:
Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo), the provincial pension and endowment manager whose board and CEO were purged in November, posted a 12.3 per cent return for the year ended Dec. 31.
The return of AIMCo’s balanced fund, which reduces the impact of portfolios that contain a large amount of fixed income and money market investments, was 12.6 per cent. Like some other large Canadian pensions, AIMCo’s results were slightly below its benchmark return, which incorporated particularly strong equity market returns in 2024.
Total assets under management grew to $179.6 billion from $160.6 billion at the end of 2023.
In November, the Alberta government removed the entire AIMCo board and dismissed chief executive Evan Siddall, who had been at the helm since 2021. Finance Minister Nate Horner said a “reset” was necessary because costs were rising at the fund manager and performance wasn’t keeping up.
A senior bureaucrat was installed as interim CEO and, on Nov.20, former prime minister Stephen Harper was brought on as chair and three of the purged board members returned to AIMCo.
The fund manager’s balanced fund generated a four-year return of 7.8 per cent and a 10-year return of 7.4 per cent, according to figures released Thursday. The total returns for the same periods, which includes the impact of the fixed income-heavy portfolios, were 7.4 per cent and 6.9 per cent.
Last year, AIMCo’s infrastructure and private equity investments posted returns of 12 per cent and 11.8 per cent, respectively, topped only by public equities at 24.7 per cent. The money market and fixed Income portfolio posted a return of 4.6 per cent, while the real estate portfolio, which faced “difficult market conditions,” was down two per cent in 2024.
“With its focus on long-term strategy, the AIMCo team delivered strong results for our clients during 2024,” interim CEO Ray Gilmour said in a statement.
AIMCo operates from offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London and Luxembourg. Siddall and his team had opened offices in Singapore and New York to help generate new investments, but those were closed in February in the first major move after the boardroom and executive shakeup last November.
Earlier today, AIMCo issued a press release stating it delivered a 12.6% investment return in 2024:
Edmonton – Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) today announced a Balanced Fund net investment return of 12.6%, or $15.1 billion, for the year ended December 31, 2024. This result was approximately 0.8 percentage point below the benchmark return of 13.4%. AIMCo’s annualized long-term results were 7.8% or $35.0 billion over a four-year period, which exceeded the benchmark by approximately 1.7 percentage points. Returns for the ten-year period were 7.4% or $70.4 billion, which was approximately 0.4 percentage point above benchmark.
AIMCo invests on behalf of pension, endowment, insurance, and government clients in Alberta. Each client determines its long-term asset mix according to its objectives and risk profile, which is a key determinant of potential returns along with AIMCo’s execution. AIMCo’s Balanced Fund reflects a typical client mix of investments across all asset classes. AIMCo’s Total Fund return reflects the aggregated results of all client accounts. In 2024, the Total Fund returned 12.3%, which was approximately 1.5 percentage points below its 13.8% benchmark return.
“With its focus on long-term strategy, the AIMCo team delivered strong results for our clients during 2024, with total assets under management reaching $179.6 billion compared to $160.6 billion at the end of 2023,” said Ray Gilmour, Interim Chief Executive Officer, AIMCo. “This progress is a testament to the team’s ability to evaluate and seize opportunities, while skillfully navigating the volatile global investment landscape.”
In 2024, Public Equities generated a significant gain of 24.7%. The Money Market & Fixed Income portfolio achieved a return of 4.6%, and the Mortgages and Private Debt & Loan components of that portfolio had positive returns of 6.4% and 8.7%, respectively.
“2024 proved to be another exceptional year for returns from public markets, particularly in global equities, which was responsible for the majority of this performance,” said Justin Lord, Senior Executive Managing Director, Global Head of Public Markets, AIMCo. “Fixed income returns were positive despite the volatile rate environment, and our high-quality credit exposure contributed to our clients’ portfolios.”
Additionally, AIMCo’s Infrastructure portfolio returned 12.0%, and the Private Equity portfolio generated a return of 11.8%. The Real Estate portfolio was down 2.0% in 2024.
“AIMCo was pleased with the solid performance of our infrastructure and private equity assets, which provide diversification and inflation protection in our clients’ portfolios,” said Peter Teti, AIMCo’s Executive Managing Director, Global Head of Private Equity. “The real estate portfolio continued to be negatively affected by difficult market conditions during 2024, particularly in the office sector.”
Detailed performance information will be available in AIMCo’s 2024 Annual Report, which will be released in June 2025.
About Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)AIMCo is one of Canada’s largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than C$179.6 billion of assets under management as at December 31, 2024. AIMCo invests globally on behalf of pension, endowment, insurance, and government funds in the Province of Alberta. With offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London, and Luxembourg, our more than 200 investment professionals bring deep expertise in a range of sectors, geographies, and industries.
Alright, so AIMCo's 2024 results came out and they were strong, 12.3% for the Total Fund and 12.6% for the Balanced Fund.
All the asset classes except for Real Estate (-2%) posted positive gains.
The big gains came from Public Equities (24.7%), Infrastructure (12%) and Private Equity (11.8%).
Private Debt (8.7%) and Mortgages (6.4%) also posted solid returns.
AIMCo's press release states this:
This result was approximately 0.8 percentage point below the benchmark return of 13.4%. AIMCo’s annualized long-term results were 7.8% or $35.0 billion over a four-year period, which exceeded the benchmark by approximately 1.7 percentage points.
Every major Canadian pension fund underperformed its benchmark last year so no big surprise.
AIMCo's results aren't a big surprise from one angle because the Fund has a bigger weighting in Public Markets and Public Equities were strong last year:

The asset mix above is at the end of December 2023 as the annual report for last year isn't available yet (it will be posted in June).
Not much more to add, all in all I thought these were excellent results and even though Real Estate posted a negative return, it wasn't as bad as I expected and better than most peers.
I do hope that in the future AIMCo also posts benchmark returns for each asset class in this press release (short term and long term performance) just to make it more transparent as now we have to wait for the annual report to see more details at an asset class level.
I didn't reach out to AIMCo for a comment and neither did they reach out to me, seems like they do not want to entertain questions.
With the departure of so many senior investment professionals, it's probably not the right time to discuss results with anyone there.
Obviously these results were solid and to be expected given their asset mix but they do not reflect what's going to happen this year as global equity markets get roiled due to US tariffs.
On this last point, JPMorgan now says Trump's tariffs are largest US tax hike since 1968 and there's a real risk of a US recession:
U.S. President Donald Trump's cumulative tariff hikes amount to about 22%, which would be equivalent to the biggest U.S. tax increase since 1968, according to a note from JPMorgan.
The bank has raised its risk of global recession to 60%, up from 40% previously, and said the tariff impact could be "magnified by retaliation, supply chain disruptions, and a sentiment shock."
The note cautions that "sustained restrictive trade policies and reduced immigration flows may impose lasting supply costs that will lower U.S. growth over the long run."
JPMorgan adds that these policy actions could evolve in the coming weeks, that "the U.S. and global expansions stand on solid ground and should be able to withstand a modest-sized shock."
If a recession does occur in the US and around the world, equity markets will keep getting hit, it's that simple.
I'm not sure how this latest fallout will evolve but one thing is clear, markets detest policy uncertainty and the longer this goes on, the more downside risks grow.
Let me be blunt, the Trump administration is playing with fire here and it can easily backfire on them.
Below, the CNBC HalfTime Report Investment Committee discusses the Trump tariff fallout and what it means going forward.
Next, Dan Ives, Wedbush, reacts the tech selloff following the latest round of tariff negotiations saying he sees an 'economic armageddon' if these tariffs stay.
Third, Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management chief economist, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk the economic impact of recent tariffs and Trump admin policy, stating there's more downside risk ahead.
Fourth, Mandy Xu, Cboe Global Markets head of derivatives markets intelligence, joins 'Fast Money' to talk volatility in the market saying there's no real panic yet and stocks can head lower.
Fifth, Adam Parker, founder and CEO at Trivariate Research, joins CNBC’s 'Closing Bell' to discuss the market sell-off, whether it's the right time to take risks, and more.
Sixth, Brad Gerstner, Altimeter Capital Founder & CEO, joins CNBC’s Halftime Report to discuss Trump’s tariffs, their economic impact, the risk of recession, and more.
Seventh, Yardeni Research president Ed Yardeni joins Market Domination host Josh Lipton and Barron senior market analysis writer Paul La Monica to discuss the current bond yields and the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to rate cuts.
Eighth, Bay street veteran and economist David Rosenberg says Trump's latest tariffs will backfire on the US as he predicts the loss on free trade with major partners will only drain US GDP growth.
Lastly, a clip from AIMCo going over the 2024 results.
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