Investment update to 30 June 2025
28 July 2025
Strong returns for Brighter Super members in 2024/25
Brighter Super’s diversified investment options delivered impressive returns for the 2024/25 financial year, with eight Accumulation and Pension options achieving double-digit returns over the 12 months to 30 June 20251.
This strong performance was reflected in SuperRatings’ June 2025 survey1, which ranked our Growth, Balanced and MySuper options among the top-performing options over several periods.
The financial year was marked by significant global economic challenges. Inflationary pressures dominated the first half, followed by trade tensions and conflict in the Middle East, which contributed to market volatility in recent months. Despite this, our diversified portfolio remained resilient and well-positioned to deliver strong outcomes for members.
Looking ahead, global markets continue to face uncertainty. While there’s been a recent rebound, market fluctuations are a normal part of investing – and history shows that staying invested through the ups and downs delivers results. That’s why our message remains clear: keep calm and stay the course.
How our diversified options performed
The table below shows returns for Brighter Super’s diversified investment options for periods ended 30 June 20251.
| Investment option |
Returns for periods ended 30 June 20251 |
| 1 year |
3 years |
5 years |
7 years |
| Accumulation accounts |
| Growth |
11.65% |
12.76% |
10.78% |
9.54% |
| Balanced |
10.54% |
11.11% |
9.07% |
8.29% |
| MySuper |
10.89% |
10.26% |
8.22% |
6.96% |
| Indexed Balanced |
12.21% |
12.03% |
9.40% |
- |
| Conservative Balanced |
9.16% |
8.81% |
6.79% |
6.42% |
| Stable |
7.53% |
6.80% |
4.67% |
4.76% |
| Secure |
5.15% |
4.46% |
2.57% |
2.78% |
| Pension accounts |
| Growth |
12.82% |
14.34% |
12.07% |
10.71% |
| Balanced |
11.49% |
12.46% |
10.07% |
9.20% |
| Indexed Balanced |
13.63% |
13.60% |
10.54% |
- |
| Conservative Balanced |
10.09% |
10.00% |
7.55% |
7.17% |
| Stable |
8.43% |
7.80% |
5.30% |
5.40% |
| Secure |
6.00% |
5.02% |
2.61% |
2.96% |
High rankings highlight Brighter Super’s investment strength
Brighter Super’s Growth and Balanced options achieved high rankings in SuperRatings’ June 2025 Fund Crediting Rate Survey, which benchmarks the top-performing options across the Australian superannuation industry2.
For 3 years ended 30 June 2025, all our diversified options for Accumulation and Pension accounts – except for the defensive Secure option – were ranked in the top quartile for their respective categories.
We’re proud to see our Growth option retain its #1 ranking in both the Growth SR50 Index (Accumulation) and the SRP50 Growth Index (Pension) for 7 years to 30 June 2025 – as shown in the table below.
| Option |
Ranking in respective SuperRatings SR50 and SRP50 index2 |
3 years ended
30 June 2025 |
5 years ended
30 June 2025 |
7 years ended
30 June 2025 |
| Growth (Accumulation) |
3rd |
4th |
1st |
| Growth (Pension) |
2nd |
3rd |
1st |
| Balanced (Accumulation) |
4th |
6th |
2nd |
| Balanced (Pension) |
4th |
7th |
2nd |
Brighter Super’s MySuper option also delivered consistently competitive results.
- For 1 year to 30 June 2025, it delivered above-median returns in the SR50 MySuper Index – ranked 4th nationally among industry funds.
- Over 3 years, it delivered top quartile returns, earning a 6th place ranking in the SR50 MySuper Index – ranked 1st nationally among industry funds.
Staying the course through market ups and downs
Navigating the highs and lows of a volatile year, Brighter Super’s strong returns reinforce a key investment principle – the importance of staying invested and keeping a long-term focus.
Our diversified investment options are built to manage market fluctuations. With active management and a broad mix of assets, they’ve proven resilient and well-positioned to recover from periods of uncertainty.
We continue to encourage members to stay calm, stay the course, and focus on your long-term goals. Our investment strategy is designed to adapt to market changes, manage risk and deliver results over time.
These latest insights can help you stay informed and confident through market ups and downs:
Looking back: global market trends in June 2025
Both Australian and Developed Market shares rose again in June. The MSCI World Index (hedged to the Australian dollar) returned 3.8%. Easing concerns over trade helped boost market confidence.
Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated significantly during the month. Whilst there were concerns the conflict could spread in the region and disrupt oil supply, share markets generally looked past the immediate tensions. A ceasefire was reached before the end of June.
In the US, the S&P500 Index returned 5.1% in June, up nearly 11% over the previous quarter and 6.2% for the year-to-date. US shares appeared to respond well to easing trade tensions, and corporate earnings remained robust. The US Federal Reserve left the cash rate unchanged, while the delayed effects of tariffs continued to be closely watched. The US administration expressed frustration at the slow pace of rate cuts.
In Asia, all major share market indices (China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan) were positive. Korean shares stood out as the strongest performer. The inauguration of President Lee Jae Myung in early June may have signalled an end to political instability, which helped boost investor confidence.
In Europe, the MSCI Europe Index (in euros) underperformed the other Developed Markets, returning -1.4%. After a period of outperformance over the past 3-6 months, European returns are now in line with the S&P500 in the US for the year to date.
Australian shares rose 1.4% in June, led by the Energy sector returning 8.9%. Materials and Consumer Staples were the two weakest performing sectors. Unemployment has now remained consistent at 4.1% throughout 2025. A high proportion of new jobs continue to be created in the public sector, healthcare and education, rather than in the private sector.
Yields for US and Australian bonds fell in June, which supported the performance of global and domestic bond indices. US 10 year yields ended the month at 4.23% (falling 0.16%), while Australian 10 year yields finished at 4.16% (falling 0.11%).
Most major currencies rose against the US dollar for a further consecutive month. Over the past year, the US dollar has clearly underperformed compared to other major currencies. The Australian dollar has also lagged behind the other major currencies over the previous year, but was stronger in June, returning 1.8%.
-
SuperRatings Fund Crediting Rate Survey, June 2025. Refer to superratings.com.au for further information about these results. The information is current as at the date of the SuperRatings Survey (released on 21 July 2025). Investment returns are only one factor to be considered when deciding whether to invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Returns are based on daily unit pricing valuations and are net of external investment manager fees, net of taxes and gross of all Brighter Super administration fees for all performance periods.
- Brighter Super options referenced in this article were ranked in the following SuperRatings indices, as published in the SuperRatings Fund Crediting Rate Survey, June 2025:
- Accumulation: Growth is in the SR50 Growth (77-90) Index, Balanced is in the SR50 (60-76) Index, MySuper option is in the SR50 MySuper Index, Indexed Balanced is in the Balanced (60-76) category, Conservative Balanced is in the SR25 Conservative Balanced (41-59) Index, Stable is in the SR50 Capital Stable (20-40) Index, Secure is in the SR25 Secure (0-19) Index.
- Pension: Growth is in the SRP50 Growth (77-90) Index, Balanced is in the SRP50 (60-76) Index, Conservative Balanced is in the Conservative Balanced (41-59) category, Indexed Balanced is in the Balanced (60-76) category, Stable is in the SRP50 Capital Stable (20-40) Index, Secure is in the SRP25 Secure (0-19) Index.
Brighter Super Trustee (ABN 94 085 088 484 AFS Licence No. 230511) ("Trustee") as trustee for Brighter Super (ABN 23 053 121 564) ("Fund"). Brighter Super may refer to the Trustee or the Fund as the context may be. Brighter Super products are issued by the Trustee on behalf of the Fund. The information contained is up to date at the time of publishing. Some of the information may change following its release. Any questions can be referred to Brighter Super by calling 1800 444 396, or by emailing info@brightersuper.com.au.
This article may contain general advice, which has been prepared without taking into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. As such, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice to your objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on the advice. You should also obtain and consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) before making any decision to acquire any product or contribute additional amounts to your Brighter Super account. A Target Market Determination (TMD) is a document that outlines the target market a product has been designed for. Find the PDSs, FSG and TMDs at brightersuper.com.au/pds-and-guides.
