MPF assets hit record $365.4 billion, up 17.5% in a year

MPF total assets hit a record. By end-September 2010 they reached $365.4 billion, up 17.5% year on year — and up 72% from the November 2008 crisis trough.

What drove the growth?

$39 billion from employer-employee contributions, $33 billion from net investment returns. Contributions and market gains together pushed assets to the record.

Which fund types contributed most?

Hong Kong equity funds gained 12% over the year, Asian equity funds 20%. The equity rebound was the main engine of the recovery.

What’s the lesson for members?

Markets rise and fall — staying invested long-term wins. Many wanted out at the 2008 bottom, but those who rode out the crisis and kept contributing are seeing the payoff. MPF is a decades-long race; don’t shuffle holdings on short-term wobbles.

To compare funds’ long-term records, visit MPF fund comparison.