Irish pension funds lost 0.6% on average during July. Standard Life Investments turned in the best performance this month with a decline of 0.3%, while Davy Asset Management delivered the worst, with a return of -1.0%.

2017 has been a somewhat mixed year so far but, despite three months in a row of negative returns, pension funds have gained 2.2% on average over the first seven months. Returns for the year to date ranged from 4.7% (Standard Life Investments) to 0.2% (Merrion Investment Managers). Over the past twelve months the average fund return was a robust 7.8%. Zurich Life top the table over the past year with a return of 10.4%, while Merrion Investment Managers produced the lowest return at 4.9%.

The average managed fund return has been a healthy 8.8% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is a strong 10.7% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been 4.4% per annum on average.