Follow @thekouk

Watch The Kouk in action

Dynamic Syndications

Peter Costello and the Future Fund Fiddle

Mon, 24 Oct 2016  |  

This article first appeared on The Adelaide Review website at this link: https://adelaidereview.com.au/opinion/business-finance/peter-costello-and-the-future-fund-fiddle/ 

------------------------------------------------

Peter Costello and the Future Fund Fiddle

The latest portfolio update from the Future Fund confirmed that the average annual return on its investments has been 7.7 percent since it was established in May 2006.

Former Treasurer Peter Costello, who is the Chair of the Future Fund Board of Guardians, judged this return to be good to the point where he claimed that it was successful in “exceeding the return objective”.

That is an expansive claim.

In the media release – that included details of the fund return up to June 30, 2016 – there was a table that showed the 7.7 percent annual return that Costello referred to. It also noted that the ‘target return’ or objective for the Future Fund since inception was 6.9 per cent, which no doubt leads Costello to his conclusion that the 7.7 percent was larger and had exceeded the objective.

Alas, that target return for the Future Fund in its own media release is misleading. According to the Future Fund Act 2006, the investment objective or target return is at “least the rate of inflation (measured by the change in the CPI) plus 4.5 to 5.5 percent”.

This return was designed to be achieved “over the long term” which is prudent and sensible given the inherent short-term volatility and variability in many market values.

With the Future Fund in operation for a decade, there is a reasonable long-term time-frame with which to judge its performance.

Based on the long-run target for annual inflation of 2.5 percent (set by the government and the RBA) this means that the Future Fund’s target return should be at least seven or eight percent. To ‘exceed’ its objective, the return delivered by the Future Fund would, quite obviously, need to be above eight percent per annum.

As a small aside, since the creation of the Future Fund, the average annual rise in the CPI has been 2.4 percent which suggests that target return over the decade of operation should be between 6.9 and 7.9 percent, with this slightly lower result due to the inflation rate being very low and below the RBA target in recent years.
At 7.7 per cent, the return has been around the middle of the target and no more.

The Future Fund and Costello referred to the lower end of this band when claiming success rather than the legislated target which has an upper bound one percentage point higher than in the Future Fund’s own media release.

In some respects, the over-egging of its success by the Future Fund and Costello is not all that serious. The returns have been solid and within the minimum target range it established.

It is also interesting to note that the investment strategy of the Fund is unusual for an Australian fund manager, with just 6.3 percent of the overall portfolio in Australian stocks. Interestingly and rather refreshingly, it has 22.5 percent in global stocks, over 10 percent in private equity and what appears to be a heavy weighting of 13.7 percent in ‘alternative assets’.

It is important to note that the Future Fund is managing taxpayers’ money and its main purpose is to cover the financial obligation of the superannuation and retirement costs of Commonwealth public servants. The $122 billion funds under management are set to achieve this objective, and if it can continue to achieve solid returns, it will have done a good job.

There is no need for it, or Costello, to exaggerate its success by fudging the target return and claiming success in beating it when it has done no such thing. The good news it that the Future Fund is close to achieving its aim. No more, no less.

More in this category: « The real reason young Aussies are struggling to get on the property ladder House prices are surging because of low supply – it's Economics 101 »
comments powered by Disqus
back to top

THE LATEST FROM THE KOUK

CLIMBING THE COVID MOUNTAIN

Wed, 29 Jul 2020

TEN ECONOMIC STEPS THAT FORM A PATHWAY TO THE TOP

THEKOUK and EVERALDATLARGE OUTLINE A WAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN SUSTAINED PROSPERITY

Covid19 has opened a door for Australians to positively accept significant changes that will lead to a shared good. This rare opportunity enables us to achieve sustainable economic and social goals that create a new ‘normal’ as our way of life.

These Ten Steps are presented as non-partisan recommendations to the Australian Parliament in the firm belief that, if they embrace them, the Australian economy and society will be greatly enhanced after the Covid19 pandemic has passed.

*A job for you if you want one.
A significant increase in part time and casual employment can be created that will enable you to enjoy a more creative and peaceful lifestyle and to live longer and better. The traditional age at which you would have been expected to retire will become obsolete as a result. An access age for pension and superannuation will become your choice. This will enable you to remain in paid work for as long as you want to, on a basis that you choose, while boosting the productivity and growth of Australia.

*You will get wage increases that will be greater than your cost of living.
A demand for enhanced innovative skills at all levels of employment will be created as the economy grows in strength, thereby enhancing your stature in the workforce and enabling executive salaries and bonuses to drop to levels that are accepted as justifiable by employees, shareholders and customers.

Be the first to comment!
READ MORE

The misplaced objective of the government of delivering a surplus, come hell or high water, has gone up in smoke

Tue, 07 Jan 2020

This article first appeared on the Yahoo Finance web site at this link: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/the-governments-test-in-2020-220310427.html   

---------------------------- 

The misplaced objective of the government of delivering a surplus, come hell or high water, has gone up in smoke

For many people, the cost of the fires is immeasurable. 

Or irrelevant. 

They have lost loved ones, precious possessions, businesses and dreams and for these people, what lies ahead is bleak.

Life has changed forever.

As the fires continue to ravage through huge tracts of land, destroying yet more houses, more property, incinerating livestock herds, hundreds of millions of wildlife, birds and burning millions of hectares of forests, it is important to think about the plans for what lies ahead.

The rebuilding task will be huge.

Several thousands of houses, commercial buildings and infrastructure will require billions of dollars and thousands of workers to rebuild. Then there are the furniture and fittings for these buildings – carpets, fridges, washing machines, clothes, lounges, dining tables, TVs and the like will be purchased to restock.

Then there are the thousands of cars and other machinery and equipment that will need to be replaced. 

Be the first to comment!
READ MORE