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Performance of Personal Pension Funds in Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Teresa Medeiros Garcia

    (Universidade de Lisboa)

  • Beatriz Costa

    (Universidade de Lisboa)

Abstract

This paper analyses the performance of personal pension funds in Portugal, during the period from 1999 to 2016, providing the first detailed analysis of this matter. Three performance measures are used: the Sharpe ratio, the difference between the returns of the fund and its benchmark, and the M2 measure. The findings show that the performance of these funds is very low and that their returns are not significantly different from zero, which might be the result of government-imposed limits concerning asset allocation. Additionally, evidence was found confirming that these funds, on average, underperform their benchmarks. Tax gains seem to be the main reason why people decide to invest a portion of their wealth in these funds, rather than in other investment forms where there are no penalties in the case of early withdrawals.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Teresa Medeiros Garcia & Beatriz Costa, 2020. "Performance of Personal Pension Funds in Portugal," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 26(3), pages 259-272, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:iaecre:v:26:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11294-020-09791-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11294-020-09791-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Personal pension funds; Performance;

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