Hostplus – Balanced was the best performing fund in research firm SuperRatings’ SR50 Balanced Index over both a one-year and 10-year investment period amid challenging and volatile investment conditions. Falls in domestic and international share markets have hit the balances of MySuper funds with around 95 per cent ending the financial year in the red.
Hostplus – Balanced achieved a 1.6 per cent return over 12 months while QANTAS Super’s balanced option came in second with a return of 0.6 per cent, followed closely by Christian Super – MyEthical Super posting a 0.5 per cent return.
Hostplus’ chief executive officer David Elia said the fund’s performance was “testament to Hostplus’ active investment approach, especially in navigating volatile markets”.
Over a 10-year investment horizon, Hostplus hit an average annual return of 9.7 per cent, followed by AustralianSuper – Balanced with a 9.3 per cent return and Australian Retirement Trust – Super Savings with a 9 per cent return
SuperRatings SR50 Balanced Index tracks performance of 50 options with exposure to growth assets of between 60 and 76 per cent.
Measuring volatility
SuperRatings also tracked the performance of funds on a volatility-adjusted basis, which measures how much members are being rewarded for taking on market gyrations.
Australian Retirement Trust – Qsuper Accum – Balanced took pole position with a 6.1 per cent return over the last seven years, followed by Catholic Super – Balanced Growth (My Super) and Mercy Super – MySuper Balanced in third. Mercy Super and HESTA recently announced plans to merge by year end.
“We have seen extreme levels of volatility since COVID-19 hit and in terms of the menu for the year ahead, we expect to see more volatility,” said Kirby Rappell, SuperRatings executive director.
1-year Top 10
| Rank | Option Name | 1 Year % | 10 Year % pa |
| 1 | Hostplus – Balanced | 1.6 | 9.7 |
| 2 | QANTAS Super Gateway – Growth | 0.6 | 8.1 |
| 3 | Christian Super – MyEthicalSuper | 0.5 | 7.9 |
| 4 | legalsuper – MySuper Balanced | -1.0 | 8.3 |
| 5 | Australian Retirement Trust – Super Savings – Balanced | -1.0 | 9.0 |
| 6 | Energy Super – Balanced | -1.2 | 8.1 |
| 7 | Aust Catholic Super & Ret – Balanced | -1.2 | 7.8 |
| 8 | CareSuper – Balanced | -1.7 | 8.7 |
| 9 | HESTA – Balanced Growth | -1.8 | 8.5 |
| 10 | TelstraSuper Corp Plus – Balanced | -1.9 | 8.5 |
10-year Top 10
| Rank | Option Name | 1 Year % | 10 Year % pa |
| 1 | Hostplus – Balanced | 1.6 | 9.7 |
| 2 | AustralianSuper – Balanced | -2.7 | 9.3 |
| 3 | Australian Retirement Trust – Super Savings – Balanced | -1.0 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Cbus – Growth (MySuper) | -3.8 | 9.0 |
| 5 | UniSuper Accum (1) – Balanced | -4.2 | 8.9 |
| 6 | CareSuper – Balanced | -1.7 | 8.7 |
| 7 | VicSuper FutureSaver – Growth (MySuper) Option | -3.3 | 8.7 |
| 8 | HESTA – Balanced Growth | -1.8 | 8.5 |
| 9 | Hostplus – Indexed Balanced | -5.7 | 8.5 |
| 10 | Aware Super – Growth | -3.7 | 8.5 |
