BNY Mellon U.S. Master Trust Universe Falls Slightly in Q2 2013

In the second quarter of 2013, the median return of the BNY Mellon U.S. Master Trust Universe fell 0.05%, but the median plan is still up 11.59% over the last year ending June 30, 2013.

BNY Mellon’s U.S. Master Trust Universe is a fund-level tracking service consisting of 619 corporate, foundation, endowment, public, Taft-Hartley and health care plans. The Universe has a market value of over $2.2 trillion and an average plan size of $3.6 billion.

U.S. equities made up the largest percentage of plans’ assets in the second quarter at 28%, followed by fixed income at 26%. U.S. equities had the highest quarterly median return of all assets at 2.85%, while fixed income fell 2.88%. Real estate also had a strong quarter at 2.76%, but it only had an average allocation of 3%

“Performance for all plan types within the Universe were relatively flat for the second quarter, as gains in U.S. equities and real estate were offset by losses in other asset classes,” said John Gruber, head of product strategy for BNY Mellon’s Global Risk Solutions group. “Endowments were the best performing segment, with higher allocations to alternatives and real estate, while corporate plans were the lowest performing segment, having the highest allocation to fixed income.”

Overall, 47% of plans had positive quarters, and 99% are up over the last year.