Identifier: Canadian

Connor, Clark & Lunn Funds Inc. (CC&L Funds) is excited to announce the recent launch of a prospectus qualified version of the NS Partners International Equity Focus portfolio, which is now available to individual Canadian investors. The NS Partners International Equity Focus Fund is based on a similar portfolio, previously available only to institutional and internal investors.

The Fund seeks to provide investors with long term capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio comprised primarily of non-North American equities, including up to 20% in emerging markets.

To manage the fund, CC&L Funds has retained NS Partners Ltd (NS Partners) a London, UK-based manager with over 30 years of experience in managing international equity portfolios, including developed and emerging markets. NS Partners combines a bottom-up quality/growth framework to analyze companies with a unique top-down global liquidity analysis to help identify regions, countries and sectors that are expected to out and underperform, as well as whether to position the portfolio for a ‘risk-seeking’ or ‘risk averse’ environment.

“For investors allocated to large-cap global equity portfolios, there is a compelling case to make a stand-alone allocation to international equities, given the valuation and concentration issues in the large-cap U.S. equity market, and the headwind of a strong U.S. dollar. By introducing our NS Partners International Equity Focus portfolio in fund format, we can offer a compelling solution for individual investors, managed by a proven, institutional caliber investment team with a differentiated approach” said Tim Elliott, President and CEO of CC&L Funds.

“We’re excited that our International Equity Focus portfolio is being made accessible to a broader group of Canadian investors. With our proven process, a strong record on the institutional side and our talented and committed investment team, we believe this portfolio will provide an attractive solution for those seeking long-term growth from international equity markets.” said Tim Bray, President and Chief Investment Officer at NS Partners.

Both CC&L Funds and NS Partners are affiliates of Connor, Clark and Lunn Financial Group (“CC&L”), whose multi-affiliate structure brings together the talents of diverse investment teams who offer a broad range of traditional and alternative investment solutions. CC&L is one of Canada’s largest independently owned asset managers, responsible for over $104 billion in assets on behalf of institutional and individual investors.

About the fund

Available in A and F Series, the fund conforms with the regulatory framework related to conventional mutual funds offered by Simplified Prospects. The fund will be offered through licensed investment dealers, priced daily, with daily liquidity, and available through FundServ.

About Connor, Clark & Lunn Funds Inc.

Connor, Clark & Lunn Funds Inc. (CC&L Funds) partners with leading Canadian financial institutions and their investment advisors to deliver unique institutional investment strategies to individual investors through a select offering of funds, alternative investments and separately managed accounts.

By limiting the offering to a focused group of investment solutions, CC&L Funds is able to deliver unique and differentiated strategies designed to enhance traditional investor portfolios. For more information, please visit www.cclfundsinc.com.

About NS Partners Ltd

NS Partners Ltd is an independent investment management firm specializing in actively managed global equity portfolios on behalf of major companies, pension funds, foundations, endowments and sovereign wealth funds. NS Partners Ltd is part of the Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group, a multi-boutique asset management firm. For more information, please visit www.ns-partners.co.uk.

About Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group Ltd.

Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group Ltd. (CC&L Financial Group) is an independently owned, multi-affiliate asset management firm that provides a broad range of traditional and alternative investment management solutions to institutional and individual investors. CC&L Financial Group brings significant scale and expertise to the delivery of non-investment management functions through the centralization of all operational and distribution functions, allowing talented investment managers to focus on what they do best. CC&L Financial Group’s affiliates manage over $104 billion in assets. For more information, please visit www.cclgroup.com.

Contact

Lisa Wilson
Manager, Product & Client Service
Connor, Clark & Lunn Funds Inc.
416-864-3120
[email protected]

A Canadian ten dollar bill on a background of dollar bills

This summary provides a perspective of the modern-day history of Canadian-US dollar exchange rate fluctuations. Figure 1 shows the level of month-end exchange rates from 1953 to December 31, 2022.

Figure 1: History of Canadian-US Exchange Rates

1953-1960 The Canadian dollar spent much of 1953 to 1960 in the $1.02 to $1.06 (US) range. It topped out at $1.0614 (US) on August 20, 1957. Until 2007 this was considered the modern-day peak for the Canadian dollar versus the US currency. The Canadian dollar was at $2.78 (US) in 1864 during the US Civil War, but in those days, it was pegged to the gold standard, a practice the US had already abandoned.
1961-1969 In the early 1960s, the Bank of Canada governor James Coyne and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker were on different economic paths. The government wanted expansion while Coyne wanted to maintain a tight money supply. Coyne subsequently resigned and in May 1962, the government pegged the Canadian dollar at 92.5 cents (US) plus or minus a 1% band.
1970-1972 In May 1970, with rising inflation and serious wage pressures, the Trudeau government allowed the Canadian dollar to float. It drifted to parity with the US dollar by 1972.
1974 On April 24, 1974, the Canadian dollar reached $1.0443 (US). This was the high point for the dollar from when it entered its most recent float period and would not trade at these levels again for another 30 years.
1976- 1986 In November 1976, René Lévesque became Premier of Quebec with a platform that promoted political independence for Quebec. A slide in the Canadian dollar resulted, lasting into the first half of the 1980s. This was a period characterized by rising inflation and interest rates. The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate reached 21.2% in 1981, and the Canadian dollar hit an all-time low of 69.13 cents (US) on February 4, 1986.
1987- 1997 The Canadian dollar rose through the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s, and on November 4, 1991, reached 89.34 cents (US). This was the high point for the 1990s.
1998-2002 Budget deficits, weaker commodity prices and the aftermath of the international crisis in 1998 in the emerging markets of Russia and Latin America, saw a downward path for the Canadian dollar. On January 21, 2002, the Canadian dollar hit its all-time low against the US dollar dropping to 61.79 cents (US). At this level it cost $1.62 CDN to buy $1 US.
2003- 2006 Through 2003 to 2006, the Canadian dollar started to appreciate sharply driven by a robust global economy that boosted prices of Canada?s commodity exports and pushed the Canadian dollar above 90 cents (US).
2007 On September 20, 2007, the Canadian dollar reached parity with the US dollar for the first time in close to 31 years, with a 62% rise in less than six years driven in part by record high prices for oil and other commodities. The Canadian dollar was named the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year for 2007 by the Canadian edition of Time magazine.
2008- 2009 The Canadian dollar continued to trade near parity in the first half of 2008, but then started a decline that saw it drop below 80 cents (US).
2010 After a strong bounce back, the Canadian dollar reached parity for the first time in 20 months in April 2010.
2011 At the height of the commodity boom, the Canadian dollar reached $1.06 (US) on July 21, 2011. It then experienced its fastest decline in modern-day history as commodity prices rapidly deteriorated.
2016 The Canadian dollar fell to 68.68 cents (US) on January 19, 2016, approximately 7 cents (US) from its historic low, before starting to strengthen against the US dollar and finishing the year at 74.57 cents (US).
2017- 2022 Currency fluctuations have been somewhat muted since 2016, although the Canadian dollar dipped back down to around the 70 cents mark in March 2020 during the outset of the COVID pandemic. The Canadian dollar subsequently strengthened and ended 2022 at 73.80 cents (US).

 

Figure 2 shows the history of exchange rates from 1970. It captures three modern-day major declines in the Canadian dollar versus the US dollar.

Figure 2: Canadian-US Exchange Rates

The three peak to trough declines in the Canadian dollar have all been down a little over 30%. The first two declines took around 10 years, while the most recent has been the fastest decline, which was in part due to the swift collapse in oil prices.

Since the last trough in 2016, the Canadian dollar continues to move in a relatively narrow range even accounting for the uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the current high levels of inflation. The Canadian dollar would have to fall below 68.68 cents (US) to test what was previously thought to be the low point for the most recent peak to trough.

Sources: Bank of Canada, CBC, Globe & Mail.