COYLE Hamilton's latest investment manager survey shows that over a one-year period, Canada Life was the top group pension managed fund performer on a return basis with an annualised return of 12.4 per cent. The average over the same five-year period to March 1996 is 11.2 per cent, which illustrates how similar the performance of the managers has been over the period.

Over the 12 month period to end March, Eagle Star performed extremely well with a 28.8 per cent return on pension funds while at the other end of the ranking, the Equitable Life produced returns of 20.4 per cent in a very strong pension fund environment during 1995/96.

The following abridged chart from the Coyle Hamilton survey shows the one-year, three-year and five-year ranking of group pension fund managers and their annualised returns as of March 31st, 1996. While the one-year figures are very high, comparing them to the more indicative three and five-year returns show just how volatile the investment markets have been.