The median Balanced Option recorded a 0.2% gain in December, taking the 2015 calendar year return to 5.6%. While this sits well below the 16.3% and 8.1% returns seen in 2013 and 2014, it is a solid result given volatile market conditions. International Shares were again the key driver of returns in 2015, with the median International Shares Option increasing by 8.8%. Australian Shares experienced modest growth in 2015, with the ASX200 Accumulation Index increasing by 2.6%.
Whilst the median return for the year was a respectable 5.6%, a number of the best performing funds had an excellent year, with MTAA Super taking out the top spot, providing an outstanding 9.5% return for its members over the calendar year. This was almost 1.0% ahead of the second best placed fund, BUSSQ, which returned 8.6% for the 12-months. The top 10 funds comprised a range of large, medium and small funds, proving that size does not necessarily lead to better investment outcomes.
