Members of superannuation funds which hedge strongly against the rising Australian dollar were well rewarded during September, according to new data released by Chant West.
The Chant West analysis, released today, has revealed that the median growth superannuation fund returned a healthy 2.4 per cent, resulting in a 4.3 per cent gain for the first quarter of the new financial year.
Chant West principal Warren Chant said that surging share markets in Australia and overseas had been the primary drivers for the rise and that while most funds now included a variety of alternative assets in the investment mix, it had been traditional listed shares that had accounted for most of the performance.
“After a negative August, September was a bumper month for Australian and international shares and this led to strong returns for growth funds,” he said. “However, currency was also a very important factor and the funds that did best were those that hedged more against the rising Australian dollar.”
Chant said that retail master trusts with their higher weightings to listed shares had outperformed industry funds in September, albeit that industry funds continued to hold the advantage over the longer term.
