Crossing the Rubicon

The latest news and opinion from Rubicon Investment Consulting

2014 was another bumper year for Irish pension funds

2014 was all about the central banks. Interest rates were at historic lows and quantitative easing was widely used to stimulate economic recovery. Both equity and bond markets responded well to the proactive stances taken. During 2014, the average Irish pension managed fund return was 15.6%. Returns for the year ranged from 17.8% (Setanta Asset Management) to 11.2% (New Ireland).

Irish pension managed funds delivered strong returns during December, with a mean gain of 1.3% for the month. Setanta Asset Management took top spot with a return of 2.5% for the month, while Kleinwort Benson Investors propped up the league table with a return of 0.5%. Managed funds returned 4.5% on average over the final quarter of 2014. Setanta Asset Management delivered the strongest return over the fourth quarter at 6.7%, while New Ireland produced the weakest return, returning 2.1% over the same period.

The average managed fund return has been a very strong 15.5% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is a healthy 10.7% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been 5.8% per annum on average.