HESTA’s Infrastructure fund is the only infrastructure superannuation fund to have made a return so far this year at 1.72%, according to data.
According to FE Analytics, the average infrastructure super fund lost 10.81% since the start of 2020.
The top three performing funds were funds that invested in real assets – Hostplus IFM Australian Infrastructure (-0.91%), and NGS Infrastructure Option (-1.29%).
Rounding out the top five funds were BT Super RARE Value Infrastructure (Unhedged) at a loss of 9.66%, and OnePath OA Frontier TTR-RARE Infrastructure Value at a loss of 9.94%.
None of the funds have been able to recover losses from the March sell-off induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the longer term, it was the listed infrastructure funds that topped the charts with Perpetual WF Super Lazard Global Listed Infrastructure fund returning the best at 36.4%, over the five years to 31 August, 2020.
This was followed by CFS FC W Personal Super Colonial First State Wholesale Global Listed Infrastructure Securities at 35.7%, ClearView WealthFoundations Super CFS Infrastructure at 30.95%, and ANZ Smart Choice Super RARE Infrastructure Value at 23.45%.
The sector average was at 27.3% for the same time period.
Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Coalition, which has pledged to reverse any changes if it wins next year’s election.
In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges.
Chant West analysis suggests super could be well placed to deliver a double-digit result by the end of the calendar year.
Specific valuation decisions made by the $88 billion fund at the beginning of the pandemic were “not adequate for the deteriorating market conditions”, according to the prudential regulator.