Irish pension managed funds ended the year on a strong note, with all of the funds surveyed delivering positive returns during December. Pension managed funds gained 2.0% on average over the final month of the year, with returns for the month ranging from 2.8% (Merrion Investment Managers) to 0.9% (Davy Asset Management).

The final quarter of the year saw Irish managed pension funds grow by 8.4% on average. New Ireland delivered the strongest quarterly return at 11.7%, while Davy Asset Management fared worst over the three months, gaining 5.4%.

Irish pension managed funds have endured an extremely volatile year, with funds returning 6.2% on average over the twelve months of 2020. This headline figure conceals a wide range of returns, however. Merrion Investment Managers topped the league table with a return of 21.7% over the year, while New Ireland and Setanta Asset Management delivered the lowest returns of the funds surveyed at -3.1%.

The average managed fund return has been 6.6% per annum over the past three years. The five-year average return is 6.5% per annum. Irish group pension managed fund returns over the past ten years have been strong, at 8.5% per annum on average.