Retail, ethical funds top performance tables for FY20

According to data from research house Super Ratings, Suncorp’s Multi-Manager Growth fund delivered the best return out of balanced index options for the 2019-20 financial year, returning 3.8 per cent for the year.

This was followed by BUSSQ’s Premium Choice Balanced Growth fund with a 2.5 per cent return, and Australian Ethical’s Balanced fund with a 2.4 per cent return.

Vision SS’s Balanced Growth and IOOF’s MultiMix Balanced Growth Trust rounded out the top five with 2 per cent and 1.7 per cent returns, respectively.

In one of the most volatile years for markets in modern memory, it appeared the league tables had been turned on their head, with only half of the top performers over a 10-year period appearing in the top 10 for the 2020 year.

In total, only 15 of the 50 funds in Super Ratings’ balanced fund comparison tables delivered a positive return over the 12-month period.

Super Ratings executive director Kirby Rappell said managing risks while delivering a positive return in the current environment had been “a real challenge” for super funds.

From a long-term performance perspective, the data showed industry funds were still leading the pack, with Australian Super returning 8.8 per cent annually over the 10 years to June 2020, and Uni Super’s Accumulation – Balanced option returning 8.7 per cent on average over the 10 years.