2019 was the best year for Irish pension funds since 2009, with managed funds gaining 20.6% on average over the year. With all funds delivering double-digit returns, Zurich Life produced the best return at 23.9% over the past twelve months. The lowest managed fund return over the year was that of Setanta Asset Management which returned 16.1%.

Irish managed funds have gained ground steadily for most of the year, and December saw these earlier gains consolidated as the decade drew to a close, with funds returning 0.9% on average over the final month of 2019. New Ireland topped the peer group during December with a gain of 1.4%, while Merrion Investment Managers propped up the table with a 0.2% return. The final quarter of the year saw Irish managed pension funds grow by 3.3% on average. Zurich Life delivered the strongest quarterly return at 4.5%, while Merrion Investment Managers fared worst over the three months, gaining 1.1%.

The average managed fund return has been a healthy 7.0% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is a robust 7.3% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been strong, at 9.1% per annum on average.