IRELAND – Managed pension funds in Ireland returned an average of 5.5% in the second quarter of this year, according to Mercer’s quarterly pension pooled fund survey.

Individually, out of a selection of 16 funds, Progressive Life, Acorn Life and Irish Life Global Access did best with returns of 7.4%, 7% and 6.8% respectively. Montgomery Oppenheim (3.5%) and Canada Life / Setanta (4.5%) fared worst.

In terms of market performance, the survey finds that Irish equities once again topped the list with the ISEQ recording a rise of 16.7%, mainly as result of the Irish market’s relatively high exposure to defensives sector stocks that continue to do well as new tech and telecoms fade. The Irish equity market has now risen 13.5% overall this year, the survey records.

For asset distribution, the report finds that most confidence appears to be in global (ex Euroland) equities with 36.6% placing money there, against 15.4% for Euroland (ex Ireland) and 20% Irish equities.
Euroland (ex Ireland) is the most attractive fixed income asset class with 11.5% placing assets, just over half the number who plumped for Irish bonds.
Property recorded an average allocation of 5.2% and cash 3.7%.