* CPPIB achieved Q3 gross investment returns of 4.6 pct
* CPPIB ended Q3 with net assets of C$282.6 billion
(Adds CEO comment on global economy, deal outlook)
By Matt Scuffham
TORONTO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board, one of the world's biggest dealmakers, said
volatile global markets are providing the best opportunities for
long-term investors since the 2007-09 financial crisis.
CPPIB, which manages Canada's national pension fund, on
Wednesday reported gross investment returns of 4.6 percent in
its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. The results were driven
by a strong performance from its global equities portfolio, as
the weak Canadian dollar increased the value of overseas
investments.
Canada's biggest public pension fund said it ended Dec. 31
with net assets of C$282.6 billion, compared with C$272.9
billion at the end of the previous quarter.
Chief Executive Mark Wiseman said CPPIB was benefiting from
investments it made during the financial crisis while others
headed for the exit. He said the current market provides similar
opportunities.
"It's periods like this that we find fertile for investing.
I would say for us this is the most interesting investment
environment we've seen since the wake of the financial crisis,"
Wiseman told Reuters.
Like other Canadian pension funds, the CPPIB has diversified
into alternative asset classes, such as infrastructure and real
estate, and from investing across different geographies.