Corporate defined benefit plans led MSCI's InvestorForce Plan Universes during the fourth quarter with gross and net returns of 3.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Public defined benefit plans also did well in the quarter, returning 3.6% and 3.5%, respectively.
The combined plan universes returned 3.4% gross of fees and a net 3.3%; for the trailing year ended Dec. 31, the total plan universe net return was 14%.
The median equity allocation across all plans was about 50%, while the median fixed-income allocation was 58%. The median allocation to alternative investments was about 10%.
MSCI's InvestorForce Plan Universes include more than 2,300 plans representing more than $3 trillion in assets.
