On the back of a flat March quarter, superannuation funds have had a strong April with the median growth fund up 1.7 per cent, according to Chant West’s latest data.
This brought the returns for the first ten months of this financial year to a healthy 7.4 per cent, putting them on track for a ninth straight positive year.
Decent performances from the share markets, which were the main drivers of growth fund performance, helped achieve this result.
Australian shares were up 3.8 per cent for April, while their international equivalents were up 1.9 per cent in hedged terms. In unhedged terms, the slight depreciation of the Australian dollar pushed this figure up slightly to 2.8 per cent.
In its pre-election policy document, the FSC highlighted 15 priority reforms, with superannuation featuring prominently, urging both major parties to avoid changing super taxes without a comprehensive tax review.
The Grattan Institute has labelled the Australian super system as “too complicated” and has proposed a three-pronged reform strategy to simplify superannuation in retirement.
Super funds delivered a strong 2024 result, with the median growth fund returning 11.4 per cent, driven by strong international sharemarket performance, new data has shown.
Australian Ethical has seen FUM growth of 27 per cent in the financial year to date.