After a dismal end to 2018, Irish pension managed funds enjoyed strong returns during January 2019, gaining 5.5% on average over the month. Merrion Investment Managers and Zurich Life topped the table over the first month of the year, with returns of 5.9%, while Davy Asset Management lagged the peer group over the month, with a return of 4.6%.

Over the past twelve months, Irish pension managed funds have delivered a more disappointing -1.0% return on average. Returns for the past year ranged from +1.9% (Davy Asset Management and Setanta Asset Management) to -4.5% (Merrion Investment Managers).

The average managed fund return has been 5.8% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is a robust 7.7% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been a strong 10.0% per annum on average.