Canadian pension fund returns decline in first quarter: RBC

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian pension funds posted lower first-quarter returns on their investments due to global market volatility, according to RBC Investor & Treasury Services data released on Thursday. Growth has been negative in three out of the last four quarters, the company said. Returns fell 0.03 percent in the first quarter, following a 5.4 percent return in full-year 2015. "Global uncertainty created a volatile start to the year for markets around the world before stabilizing somewhat as the year progressed," said David Heisz, chief executive of RBC Investor Services Trust, a unit of the company. Canadian funds have pursued a strategy of directly investing in assets such as infrastructure and real estate around the world, but they remain mostly invested in global equity markets. (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Richard Chang)