Investing April 11, 2002

Pension Assets Outpace Liabilities in 2002 Q1

April 11, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - In what could be viewed as the most positive development in the pension industry in two years, asset growth finally outpaced that of liabilities in the first quarter of 2002, according to year-to-date figures from Ryan Labs, Inc.
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The Ryan Labs Liability Index showed negative growth of -2.8% for the first three months of the year of 2002, while all asset classes boasted positive, though meager, returns over the period.

Over the quarter:

  • the S&P 500 index crept up by 0.28%
  • the MSCI International Index increased by 0.57%
  • the Lehman Aggregate rose by 0.09%
  • cash was up by 0.36%.

While, according to the Ryan Labs data:

  • long liabilities are down by around 7.5%
  • intermediate liabilities are suffering in the vicinity of 2%.

While the increase in Ryan’s asset growth measure has been small, at 0.29%, when coupled with the -2.80% fall in liabilities, it translates to a 3.09% growth in assets versus liabilities over the quarter.

 

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