Crossing the Rubicon

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Mixed Fortunes for Irish Pension Funds in April

Irish pension funds gained 0.5% on average during April, but this average disguises mixed fortunes. New Ireland ranked top this month with a gain of 1.2%, while Merrion Investment Managers propped up the league table with a loss of 0.1%.

2016 has been a bleak year so far, with pension funds down 3.3% on average over the first four months. Returns for the year to date ranged from 0.9% (Setanta Asset Management) to -7.0% (Merrion Investment Managers). Over the past twelve months the average fund return was an disappointing -5.2%. Setanta Asset Management top the table over the past year with a return of -1.2%, while Merrion Investment Managers produced the lowest returns at -8.2%.

The average managed fund return has been a strong 9.8% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is a healthy 9.8% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been 4.0% per annum on average.

Updated on 2016-05-10: This article has been updated to reflect an amended price advised to us by Standard Life Investments following publication of the original article.