Superannuation continues to be a solid investment option according to the latest data released by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) which has revealed the annual industry-wide rate of return for the year ending December, 2019, was 13.8%.
The data, contained within APRA’s December quarter release, revealed the five-year average annual rate of return to December 2019 was 7.1%
The regulator’s data revealed that over the December quarter, total assets increased by 1.7% or $36.2 billion to $2.2 trillion, and that as at the end of the period 51.4% of the $1.9 trillion investments were invested in equities, with 25.3% in international listed equities, 22% in Australian equities and 4.1% in unlisted equities.
It said fixed income and cash investments accounted for 30.9% of investments, with 21.3% in fixed income and 9.5% in cash, while property and infrastructure accounted for 14.3% of investments while other assets including hedge funds and commodities accounted for 3.4%.
The data revealed that industry funds had amongst the lowest allocations to fixed income and cash while retail funds had a higher exposure to equities.
The two funds have announced the signing of a non-binding MOU to explore a potential merger.
The board must shift its focus from managing inflation to stimulating the economy with the trimmed mean inflation figure edging closer to the 2.5 per cent target, economists have said.
ASIC chair Joe Longo says superannuation trustees must do more to protect members from misconduct and high-risk schemes.
Super fund mergers are rising, but poor planning during successor fund transfers has left members and employers exposed to serious risks.