The median growth (61% to 80% in growth assets) superannuation fund grew 2.2% during April, bringing the first 10 months of the financial year to 14.7%, according to Chant West.
Both domestic and international shares were the main drivers of the month’s performance with Australian shares up 3.7%, and international shares up 4.1% in hedged terms, and 3.2% in unhedged terms as the Australian dollar appreciated during the month.
Chant West senior investment research manager, Mano Mohankumar, said: “Should growth funds finish the year at or around the end-April level, it would represent the highest annual return since 2012/13 when they surged 15.6%.
“They’ve shown their resilience – as we saw last financial year when they limited the COVID-induced damage to post a small loss of 0.6% – and now they’ve shown their powers of recovery.
“The cumulative return since the end of March last year is about 22%, which is astonishing given the health concerns, disruptions and economic damage caused by COVID-19. It also means that we’re more than 7% above the pre-COVID crisis high that was reached at the end of January 2020.”
The lower outlook for inflation has set the stage for another two rate cuts over the first half of 2026, according to Westpac.
With private asset valuations emerging as a key concern for both regulators and the broader market, Apollo Global Management has called on the corporate regulator to issue clear principles on valuation practices, including guidance on the disclosures it expects from market participants.
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