Pension Plans Show Strongest Growth in a Decade

The nation’s largest 1,000retirement plans enjoyed their strongest growth rate in a decade in the 12months ended Sept. 30, according to Pensions& Investments, a newspaper of money management.

Pension executives anticipatedismal returns for almost every asset class, according to the news report,making prospects for 2008 bleak.

The top 1,000 U.S. retirementplans grew 13.5 percent in the 12-month period ended Sept. 30,according to data compiled by P&I.

The survey, published in thenewspaper’s Jan. 21 issue, also found the nation’s largestdefined benefit plans have substantially increased their allocations toalternative investments, including hedge funds and private equities, duringthe 12 months ended Sept. 30.

In contrast, allocations to U.S. stocks bythe top 1,000 fell to 40.7 percent of total assets, down from 43.7 percentthe year before. U.S.fixed-income allocations fell to 23.9 percent from25.4 percent.

Aggregate data are provided forthe Top 200 and Top 1,000 plans, while detailed profiles are published onthe Top 200 plans.

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