{"slug": "la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b", "title": "La Caisse earns 5.1% return in first half of year, net assets total $552B", "summary": "Quebec pension fund La Caisse reported a 5.1% return for the first half of 2026, below its benchmark's 7.5%, with net assets reaching $552 billion as of June 30. CEO Charles Emond attributed the period's performance to AI enthusiasm and Middle East geopolitical tensions, noting that the equity portfolio returned 14.6% (above the benchmark's 13.6%) driven by AI-related stocks, while the private equity portfolio fell 4.3% due to AI concerns in insurance and financial services.", "body_md": "MONTREAL — Quebec pension fund La Caisse says the return on its fund for the first half of the year was 5.1 per cent, below its benchmark index's 7.5 per cent.\n\nThe company says its net assets totalled $552 billion as of June 30.\n\nCharles Emond, chief executive officer of La Caisse, says the first half of the year was dominated by two major trends: AI enthusiasm and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.\n\nHe says La Caisse's equity portfolio outperformed, as a small group of AI-related stocks benefiting from an unprecedented investment cycle in data centres drove the market rally.\n\nLa Caisse's equity portfolio recorded a return of 14.6 per cent over the six months ended June 30, which was above the benchmark index's 13.6 per cent return.\n\nMeanwhile, its private equity portfolio fell by 4.3 per cent as AI concerns weighed on certain industries, such as insurance and financial services, during the first six months of the year.\n\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.\n\nThe Canadian Press", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b", "canonical_source": "https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-191259858.html", "published_at": "2026-08-13 19:12:59+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-13 19:39:47.406602+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["La Caisse", "Charles Emond", "The Canadian Press"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/la-caisse-earns-5-1-return-in-first-half-of-year-net-assets-total-552b.jsonld"}}