In the reckoner below you can view the median monthly investment returns for 5 superannuation investment options going back to January 2016. We’re grateful to Chant West for providing the data that powers the reckoner.
See also: Latest monthly super fund returns
Important: Superannuation is primarily a long-term investment. While the monthly investment returns can be interesting to readers who pay close attention to their investments, and perhaps would like to spot trends over particular times of the year, it’s important to remember that ideally super is built up over a working lifetime. That could equate to more than 500 working months, or more than 40 years.
Don’t be too concerned about a negative month here or there because on average super funds have been providing positive returns for 26 of the last 31 financial years.
See an animation of fund performance for periods of one month to 15 years over six years.
The reckoner is easy to use. Just click on the blue filter boxes. You can then select if you’d like to filter by particular investment options, or by particular months. Just click the OK buttons to select those filters and the table will update automatically.
Investment option | Month | ||||||||||||
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wdt_ID | Investment option | Month | 2015 return (%) | 2016 return (%) | 2017 return (%) | 2018 return (%) | 2019 return (%) | 2020 return (%) | 2021 return (%) | 2022 return (%) | 2023 return (%) | 2024 return (%) | formula_1 |
1 | All Growth | January | 0.0 | -4.0 | -0.5 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 0.3 | -3.6 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
2 | All Growth | February | 0.0 | -1.2 | 1.7 | -0.4 | 4.0 | -5.4 | 1.6 | -1.2 | -0.4 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
3 | All Growth | March | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | -1.6 | 0.8 | -12.9 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.9 | -1.0 |
4 | All Growth | April | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 3.0 | -1.7 | 1.7 | -2.3 | 3.0 |
5 | All Growth | May | 0.0 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -1.7 | 3.2 | 1.5 | -1.7 | -0.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
6 | All Growth | June | 0.0 | -2.2 | -0.4 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 2.4 | -5.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
7 | All Growth | July | 3.7 | 4.1 | -0.1 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 |
8 | All Growth | August | -2.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | -1.3 | 2.9 | 2.6 | -0.3 | -0.4 | -0.3 | 1.2 |
9 | All Growth | September | -2.2 | -0.2 | 1.4 | -0.2 | 1.7 | -1.4 | -1.7 | -4.7 | -2.7 | 1.7 | -0.1 |
10 | All Growth | October | 4.9 | -1.3 | 3.5 | -5.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 4.7 | -2.4 | -0.2 | |
11 | All Growth | November | -0.5 | 2.2 | 1.8 | -1.0 | 2.9 | 7.6 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 2.4 | |
12 | All Growth | December | 0.0 | 3.2 | 0.8 | -2.2 | -0.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | -3.4 | 3.7 | 0.8 | |
13 | High Growth | January | 0.0 | -2.9 | -0.3 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | -2.9 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.6 |
14 | High Growth | February | 0.0 | -0.7 | 1.3 | -0.2 | 3.3 | -4.0 | 1.2 | -1.3 | -0.4 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
15 | High Growth | March | 0.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | -1.2 | 0.8 | -10.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.3 | -0.8 |
16 | High Growth | April | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 2.6 | -1.4 | 1.4 | -1.9 | 2.4 |
17 | High Growth | May | 0.0 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -1.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 | -1.3 | -0.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
18 | High Growth | June | 0.0 | -1.5 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 2.3 | -4.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
19 | High Growth | July | 2.9 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 |
20 | High Growth | August | -1.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | -0.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | -0.3 | -0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 |
21 | High Growth | September | -1.4 | 0.1 | 1.2 | -0.1 | 1.5 | -0.9 | -1.3 | -3.7 | -2.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 |
22 | High Growth | October | 4.0 | -0.9 | 2.8 | -4.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 3.8 | -1.8 | -0.1 | |
23 | High Growth | November | -0.4 | 1.6 | 1.5 | -0.8 | 2.4 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 1.9 | |
24 | High Growth | December | 0.2 | 2.8 | 0.7 | -1.7 | -0.1 | 1.1 | 1.8 | -2.6 | 3.0 | 0.8 | |
25 | Growth | January | 0.0 | -2.3 | -0.1 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.2 | -2.2 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
26 | Growth | February | 0.0 | -0.4 | 1.2 | -0.2 | 2.7 | -3.1 | 0.9 | -1.1 | -0.5 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
27 | Growth | March | 0.0 | 1.8 | 1.5 | -0.7 | 0.8 | -9.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.9 | -0.6 |
28 | Growth | April | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 2.2 | -1.2 | 1.2 | -1.7 | 1.9 |
29 | Growth | May | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | -0.7 | 2.2 | 1.1 | -1.0 | -0.4 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
30 | Growth | June | 0.0 | -1.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 2.0 | -3.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
31 | Growth | July | 2.3 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 |
32 | Growth | August | -1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | -0.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 | -0.4 | -0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
33 | Growth | September | -1.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 1.2 | -0.6 | -1.0 | -3.1 | -1.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
34 | Growth | October | 3.2 | -0.7 | 2.3 | -3.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 3.0 | -1.5 | 0.0 | |
35 | Growth | November | -0.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | -0.6 | 1.9 | 4.9 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 1.5 | |
36 | Growth | December | 0.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | -1.1 | -0.1 | 1.0 | 1.5 | -2.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | |
37 | Balanced | January | 0.0 | -1.4 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.2 | -1.6 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
38 | Balanced | February | 0.0 | -0.2 | 0.9 | -0.2 | 1.9 | -2.1 | 0.3 | -0.9 | -0.4 | 1.3 | 0.1 |
39 | Balanced | March | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.2 | -0.5 | 0.9 | -6.8 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.5 | -0.4 |
40 | Balanced | April | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | -0.9 | 0.9 | -1.4 | 1.5 |
41 | Balanced | May | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | -0.2 | 1.6 | 0.9 | -0.8 | -0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
42 | Balanced | June | 0.0 | -0.4 | -0.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.4 | -2.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
43 | Balanced | July | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
44 | Balanced | August | -0.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | -0.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | -0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
45 | Balanced | September | -0.8 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.7 | -0.4 | -0.8 | -2.4 | -1.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
46 | Balanced | October | 2.2 | -0.6 | 1.7 | -2.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.2 | -1.2 | 0.0 | |
47 | Balanced | November | -0.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | -0.3 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 1.1 | |
48 | Balanced | December | 0.1 | 1.7 | 0.4 | -0.7 | -0.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | -1.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | |
49 | Conservative | January | 0.0 | -0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.1 | -1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
50 | Conservative | February | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.2 | -1.0 | 0.0 | -0.6 | -0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
51 | Conservative | March | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | -0.1 | 0.8 | -4.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | -0.2 |
52 | Conservative | April | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | -0.7 | 0.6 | -1.1 | 0.9 |
53 | Conservative | May | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | -0.5 | -0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
54 | Conservative | June | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | -1.5 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
55 | Conservative | July | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 |
56 | Conservative | August | -0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | -0.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
57 | Conservative | September | -0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | -0.5 | -1.5 | -1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
58 | Conservative | October | 1.4 | -0.4 | 1.2 | -1.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | -0.1 | 1.3 | -0.7 | 0.0 | |
59 | Conservative | November | -0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | -0.2 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | |
60 | Conservative | December | 0.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | -1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
Source: Chant West. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
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