Effect of Fund Size on the Performance of Australian Superannuation Funds
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Working Paper
39 Pages Posted: 28 Mar 2012 Last revised: 21 Jan 2015
Date Written: January 2015
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between fund size and performance for two major superannuation industry sectors in Australia: retail and not-for-profit, using a unique but confidential database. Results suggest that members benefit from being invested in larger superannuation funds for three reasons: (i) larger not-for-profit funds provide diversification benefits of investing in more asset classes including unlisted property and private equity, (ii) larger funds in both sectors avoid the scale diseconomies in investment returns documented in studies of equity mutual funds, and (iii) larger funds make substantial savings by spreading fixed operating costs (such as IT infrastructure) over a larger asset base.
Keywords: retirement savings, pension funds, investment management, economies of scale
JEL Classification: G11, G23, L25
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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