SMSF assets see drop of $10bn-plus
Total Australian and overseas assets held in SMSFs fell by more than $10 billion in the three months to the end of June 2015, according to the ATO.
The ATO's SMSF Statistical Report for June 2015 indicated that total Australian and overseas assets dropped from $600.3 billion at the end of the March quarter this year to $589.9 billion at the end of the June quarter.
This, however, was an increase from the June 2014 quarter when total Australian and overseas SMSF assets were $556 billion.
According to ATO data, SMSFs have not experienced a decrease in total assets since the September 2011 quarter, when they dropped from $403 billion to $386.7 billion.
The report also showed total net Australian and overseas assets decreased, falling from $582.3 billion to $571.8 billion.
Overseas managed investments were one of the asset classes to see a decline, falling six per cent from $567 million at the end of the March quarter to $533 million at the end of the June quarter.
Listed shares fell by $12.2 billion from $199.3 billion to $187.1 billion.
The ATO also upwardly revised its June 2014 quarter estimates for assets held by SMSFs under limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs), from $9.3 billion to $15.1 billion, as reported by SMSF Adviser yesterday.
The ATO estimates there are $15.6 billion in SMSF assets held under LRBAs as of June 2015.
While ATO statistics are the most accurate population and asset allocation data available on SMSFs, there is often a lag in updating the figures as new information, such as from SMSF annual tax returns, is processed.
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Miranda Brownlee
Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.
Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates.
Miranda also has broad business and financial services reporting experience, having written for titles including Investor Daily, ifa and Accountants Daily.
