Core Insights - The Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) achieved record earnings of HK$207 billion (US$26.5 billion) in the first nine months of the year, marking total assets surpassing HK$1.5 trillion for the first time [1][3] - The average gain for each of the 4.8 million MPF members was HK$43,225, reflecting an 18% increase compared to the previous year [2][4] Performance Metrics - The average return for Hong Kong's 379 MPF investment funds was 15.8% during the first nine months [4] - Funds invested in Hong Kong and China stocks yielded a return of 37.28% in the first nine months and 15.9% in the third quarter, the highest among fund types [5] - Mixed asset funds achieved a return of 21.9% in the first nine months and 7.9% in the third quarter, ranking second [5] - Asian equity funds reported returns of 20.9% in the first nine months and 8.7% in the third quarter, completing the top three performers [6] Market Context - The significant rally in equity markets, particularly the Hang Seng Index which has increased by 34% this year, was a major contributor to the high earnings of the MPF [6][7]

Aware Super, one of Australia’s largest pensions, confirmed plans to merge with smaller rival TelstraSuper to form a A$235 billion fund https://t.co/m7tOAGTLEj ...

People sit on a bench at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg The vast scale of Australia’s rapidly expanding pension funds means they could amplify stress in the event of a severe market-wide liquidity disruption, the Reserve Bank said in a half-yearly assessment of the nation’s financial system. Managing a large and expanding market presence and building resilience to shocks in the superannuation sector remain priorities, the RBA said in its October Financial Stability ...

Aviva is ramping up the amount of private markets exposure that pensioners who opt for its default funds can receive https://t.co/0Xg3HVy88i ...

Regulatory Focus - Australia's corporate watchdog urges pension funds to enhance disclosure regarding private assets and their valuations [1] Industry Trends - Australia's pension fund industry, valued at A$4.3 trillion, is increasing its exposure to unlisted investments [1]

Core Viewpoint - The National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea should actively consider investing in digital assets to enhance its portfolio and support the growth of the domestic digital asset industry [1][2][3]. Group 1: NPS and Digital Assets - Kab Lae Kim from the Korea Capital Market Institute recommends that NPS, with over $930 billion in assets, should include digital assets in its investment strategy [1][2]. - The current reputation of digital assets for high volatility poses a challenge for NPS in committing capital [2]. - Kim emphasizes the importance of NPS in fostering the growth of South Korea's digital asset companies and suggests initiating policy discussions to facilitate this [3]. Group 2: Global Trends in Pension Fund Investments - There is a growing global trend of pension funds and endowments investing in Bitcoin, with notable examples including AMP's $27 million investment and Michigan's $6.6 million in a Bitcoin ETF [5]. - The inclusion of cryptocurrencies in retirement plans has been recognized in the U.S., as evidenced by an executive order signed by President Trump [6]. - Although NPS has not directly invested in Bitcoin, it has shown interest by purchasing shares of MicroStrategy, a company closely tied to Bitcoin's price movements [6].

经济观察网据央视新闻客户端消息，9月29日，全国社会保障基金理事会发布了2024年度基本养老保险 基金运行情况。数据显示，2024年末，基本养老保险基金资产总额28396.52亿元，其中，地方养老基金 资产总额28247.96亿元，2024年地方养老基金投资收益额1056.88亿元，投资收益率5.52%；风险基金自 2023年正式开展投资运营，2024年资产总额150.81亿元。 ...

Core Viewpoint - Canada is leveraging its pension fund industry to enhance investment in the U.S., with potential for significant growth in future investments [1] Group 1: Investment Potential - The Canadian pension fund industry has already invested over $1 trillion in the U.S. [1] - There is an expectation for annual growth in investments by an additional $100 billion or more [1]

Core Insights - Legal Super has emerged as the best-performing growth superannuation option for the past financial year, achieving a 12.9% annual return [1] - Following closely is Vanguard with an 11.8% return, while Colonial First State and Australian Retirement Trust both recorded 11.2% [1] - The annual ranking was published by research firm Chant West, which defines "growth options" as superannuation products with 61% to 80% allocated to growth assets [1] Performance Summary - Legal Super MySuper Balanced: 12.9% [2] - Vanguard Super SaveSmart Growth: 11.8% [2] - Colonial First State FirstChoice Growth: 11.2% [2] - Australian Retirement Trust Balanced: 11.2% [2] - NGS Super Diversified (MySuper): 11.2% [2] - smartMonday Balanced Growth: 11.1% [2] - AMP Future Directions Balanced: 11.0% [2] - UniSuper Growth: 11.0% [2] - Aware Super Balanced: 10.9% [2] - Brighter Super My Super: 10.9% [2] Market Drivers - Legal Super's CEO, Luke Symons, attributes the fund's success to strong performance in the U.S. market, employing strategies such as risk-controlled portfolios and active allocation in mid-cap tech stocks [3] - The median return for growth superannuation options was 10.5%, an increase from 9.1% in the previous financial year [3] - Strong performances in both international and Australian stocks, which recorded returns of 13.7%, and double-digit returns from infrastructure investments contributed to overall market gains [3] Asset Allocation Insights - International stocks constitute the largest portion of growth superannuation portfolios, approximately 31%, with about 70% being unhedged investments [6] - The depreciation of the Australian dollar has significantly boosted returns, with unhedged international stock returns reaching 18.6% [6] - Non-listed property is expected to rebound in the 2024-25 financial year, with returns projected between 2% and 5% [6] Long-term Performance Outlook - Hostplus leads the balanced option category with an average annual return of 8.3%, followed by Australian Retirement Trust at 8.2% and AustralianSuper at 8.0% [7] - Despite a cumulative growth of over 30% in the past three years, this performance should not be considered the norm [7] - The long-term goal for growth superannuation is to outperform inflation by 3.5 percentage points, equating to an annual return of around 6% [7] - AMP's chief economist Shane Oliver suggests that after three consecutive years of 9-10% growth, returns may revert to a more sustainable range of 6-7%, especially given high stock market valuations [7]

Regulatory Request - Indian pension managers are requesting the industry regulator to relax rules regarding the tenor of company bonds they are permitted to purchase [1]