Australia's best performing super funds in 2022 made a loss, SuperRatings data ... trends now
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Almost all of Australia's best performing super funds made a loss as retirement savings suffered the worst year since the Global Financial Crisis.
Research group SuperRatings has revealed the median, growth-orientated balanced fund lost 4.8 per cent in 2022 as the Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates eight times.
This was the worst year since the GFC in 2008 when superannuation balances plunged by 19.7 per cent.
It was only the fourth year during the past two decades when super went backwards, including a 4.8 per cent downturn in 2002 and a 1.9 per cent decline in 2011.
SuperRatings listed 20 balanced super funds that did better than the typical balanced option but on that league table, 18 of them made a loss.
Almost all of Australia's best performing super funds made a loss as retirement savings suffered the worst year since the Global Financial Crisis. SuperRatings listed 20 balanced super funds that did better than the typical balanced option but on that league table, 18 of them made a loss (pictured is a stock image of an older couple)
Perpetual WealthFocus was the best performer in 2022 with its Perpetual Balanced Growth Fund last year growing by 1.7 per cent.
But over 10 years, its average annual return of 6.9 per cent was below the median 7.5 per cent pace for balanced funds.
First Super's Balanced fund was the only other product to be in positive territory in 2022 but it barely increased, rising by just 0.1 per cent.
It had a 10-year, average annual return of 7.6 per cent.
Every other super fund on the top 20 list went backwards, ranging from CareSuper's Balanced fund's 2 per cent loss to Spirit
