Ireland – Irish defined benefit (DB) funds returned an average of 13.3% for 2003, according to figures released by Mercer Investment Consulting in Ireland.

The DB plan performance was boosted by healthy returns for Irish equities for the year of 26.3%.
Euro ex Irish equities gave 17.9% while total fixed income returns came out at 4.2%. Property returned 12.5% for the year.

Over 3 years, however, Irish DB plans still only record average performance figures of –4.4% against a slightly improved 1.5% over five years.

Earlier this year Mercer recorded that Irish pension managed funds had produced an average performance 18.9% for the year to Jan 2004.

The Mercer survey of segregated Irish DB funds records the returns for more than 200 balanced portfolios.