Investing May 7, 2003

ICC Master Trust Down 1.5% in First Quarter

May 7, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The median master trust in the Independent Consultants Cooperative (ICC) universe - made up of US pensions, endowments and foundations - gave up 1.5% in the first quarter with equities finishing the quarter with a decrease and fixed income performing positively.
Reported by

According to the New York-based ICC, the median US equity portfolio lost 3.2%, the median international equity portfolio gave up 8.4%, while the median US bond portfolio enjoyed a 1.5% gain and the median global bond portfolio pushed forward for a 3.2% hike during the January to March period.

The ICC said stepped-up exposure to fixed income helped cushion plan losses. The median master trust’s total bond weight was up to 35.4% of total assets at March 31, from 31.7% a year earlier. For the same 12-month period, the median US bond portfolio returned 10.9% and the median global bond portfolio showed off its 20.7% return. The median US equity portfolio gave up 24.5% and the median international equity portfolio gave up 23.5% in the first quarter.

The ICC, a consortium of independent consultants, maintains an institutional investment performance database including more than 17,400 portfolios, with $1.5 trillion in market value, owned by about 1,400 plan sponsors.

«