Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Register

4 July 2026

Home / 441

Morningstar asset class performance, 2021 and historical

The start of a new year is a good time to review portfolio performance and consider long-term settings for a financial future.

This article breaks Morningstar reporting into five tables to show market performance over all time periods to 30 years, as well as measures of risk and drawdowns. The chart on long-term performance shows Australian equities and listed property doing best since 1989. 

Table 1: Asset class performance from 1 month to 30 years

Table 2: Standard deviation (a measure of risk) by asset class

Table 3: Historical 1-year returns

Table 4: Historical 5-year returns

Table 5: Historical drawdown (market falls)

Tables sourced from Morningstar Adviser Research Centre.

Chart

Source: Morningstar Adviser Research Centre.

 

Access data and research on over 40,000 securities through Morningstar Investor, as well as a portfolio manager integrated with Australia’s leading portfolio tracking service, Sharesight. Sign up to a free, four week trial below:

Try Morningstar Investor for free

 

  •   12 January 2022
  • 5
  •      
  •   
5 Comments
John
January 13, 2022

The chart included (showing relative performance of asset classes) is in a format that I have long considered poor because it is easily manipulated by merely changing the start date. My other criticism is that there is virtually no investor that has that exact experience.

Instead, I suggest an alternative.

Instead of starting with a dollar investment, some time in the past, instead produce a graph that has today as its end date, with each of the asset classes ending up with $100 invested, and the line of the graph says for each date on the horizontal axis, how much money would need to be invested to end up with the $100.

The highest performing asset class would in this graph be the one with the lowest amount of initial investment. The big advantage of this graph would be that any investor could select a start date, and see how much they needed to invest at that start date, in that asset class to end up with $100 now. You could see what proportion of investment dates (finishing today) would produce negative returns, and what proportion positive (or you could make a good guess along those lines)

Dudley
January 13, 2022

"with each of the asset classes ending up with $100 invested":

Better; then only need to time travel to make guaranteed outcome investments.

Tomorrow's race results are best.

Alexander Stitt
January 15, 2022

Wholeheartedly agree with John, that showing a common end point allows a much better understanding of where past performance differentials have arisen and overcomes the problem in the choice of start date; and I've long though this. A quick look at how different the results would be on the existing chart if the start date was 2006 vs 2009 easily illustrates the point. Maybe such a chart requires a bit more work from the user to comprehend, but is, in effect, just the tables of "past 1 years performance", "past 3 years performance", "past 10 years performance" put into a common chart with all time intervals on display all the way back to the chart start, not just the arbitrary "1 year", "3 year" "10 year" etc. observations.

I suspect Dudley, in his comment, did not fully understand what John was proposing.

Dudley
January 15, 2022

Been presenting semi-log cumulative total value normalised to 1 at current date for years.
More clearly shows relative growth rates.
Does not predict future.

D Ramsay
January 15, 2022

Could we please also get the modal values (i.e. mode = the most common score) into the Historical 1 and 5 -year returns into those tables please as it would give a perspective of how Normalized or Skewed the distribution is.

 

Leave a Comment:

RELATED ARTICLES

Do investors accept lower returns from assets that make them feel good?

Diversification is not a free lunch

Firstlinks is sponsored by:
banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

How to minimise tax with a will

Inheritance tax implications in Australia may surprise some, as poor estate planning without proper wills or trusts can lead to costly tax bills and delays for beneficiaries.

Testamentary trusts post-budget: Estate planning, tax reform and the ‘death tax’ debate

Proposed Budget changes to taxation are casting new uncertainty over testamentary trusts, prompting closer scrutiny of estate planning structures and the real implications of reforms still taking shape.

Meg on SMSFs: The CGT changes don’t impact super but what about Div 296 tax decisions?

New CGT rules could tip the scales in the super vs non-super debate. For those facing the Division 296 tax, the case for withdrawing has gotten more complex. A "comparison rate" tool may help assess decisions.

High quality businesses are on sale

Beneath the dominance of the ASX's largest stocks, much of the market has been left behind. High-quality companies are now trading at levels rarely seen, offering opportunities for investors willing to look deeper.

The investment mistake killing your returns

Retail investors face an increasingly complex product environment, but simplicity may be the most overlooked advantage in building a portfolio you can actually live with.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 667 with weekend update

The downfall of the giant and three lessons for investors.

  • 18 June 2026

Latest Updates

SMSF strategies

Meg on SMSFs: How wide is the ban on LRBAs?

The government's recent deal with the Greens has put SMSF property borrowing on the chopping block. The change raises tricky questions about timing, exceptions and what SMSFs will still be able to buy.

Shares

Why Australian shares are falling behind the world

Australia’s market boasts a long record of outperformance, but recent results tell a different story. Is the ASX’s lagging performance a temporary setback or evidence that structural forces will keep global markets ahead?

Taxation

The strange effect of the 30% minimum capital gains tax

The 30% minimum tax on capital gains sits at the heart of the budget's proposed reforms. Yet the mechanics reveal anomalies that introduce unexpected distortions that raise questions about its design.

Shares

The next phase of Australian equity leadership

For years, banks have powered Australian sharemarket returns. But changing economic conditions, stretched valuations and global trends suggest the next generation of winners may not be found in familiar domestic sectors.

Economy

Global market growth hinges on Iran War and AI rollout

Global growth is facing mounting pressure from war, higher oil prices, inflation and trade tensions. But a wave of AI-related investment may prove powerful enough to support economic activity and reshape the outlook for markets.

Retirement

The retirees who can't spend

Why do so many retirees pass away with their wealth intact? Conventional wisdom blames pension rules for the reluctance to spend, but a case study from New Zealand shows that the answer may not be as predictable.

Investment strategies

Here’s my investment philosophy. What’s yours?

Investors often hear they need an “investment philosophy,” yet few know what that really means. Beneath the jargon sits a simple idea: a handful of core beliefs that shape every financial decision, for better or worse.

Sponsors

Alliances

Site Map

About Firstlinks

© 2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.