CPF Investment Scheme funds rise 5.1% in Q1

THE overall performance of funds included in the Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme (CPFIS) rose by an average of 5.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2017.

According to a Thomson Reuters Lipper assessment on the performance of all unit trusts and investment-linked insurance products (ILPs), CPFIS-included unit trusts increased 5.2 per cent and CPFIS-included ILPs rose 5.04 per cent. For all CPFIS-included funds, equities posted positive returns of 6.44 per cent; mixed-asset 4.1 per cent; bonds 1.27 per cent; and money market funds 0.19 per cent.

For the one year since March 2016, the overall performance of CPFIS-included funds posted a positive return of 14.17 per cent on average. CPFIS-included unit trusts rallied 15.8 per cent on the year and CPFIS-included ILPs soared 13.16 per cent. During the same one-year period, equities (+18.55 per cent) outperformed bonds (+1.16 per cent), mixed-asset (+10.66 per cent) and money market funds (+0.64 per cent) on average.

For the three years from March 2014 to March 2017, CPFIS-included funds grew 17.11 per cent on average, accounted for by a gain of 18.71 per cent from CPFIS-included unit trusts and 16.27 per cent from CPFIS-included ILPs.

Equities were the lead gainers with growth of 20.11 per cent, while the money market portfolio posted 1.52 per cent.