Maryland State Retirement and Pension System logs record 26.7% return

The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) has announced a record 26.7 percent return, net of fees, on its investment portfolio for the fiscal year ending June 30. The fund’s performance raised MSRPS’s assets to $67.9 billion, an increase of $13.3 billion from the previous fiscal year.

“It was an extraordinary year for the performance of system assets, the best in 35 years,” said Andrew Palmer, CIO of MSRPS. “The attractive investment opportunities provided by the pandemic and subsequent monetary and fiscal policy responses are apparent in the rearview mirror but were not always clear in real time. Fortunately, working with the board and the investment staff, the system was able to fully participate in the very strong returns available in most markets.”

MSRPS’s real assets portfolio, which includes real estate and infrastructure, logged a 14.81 percent return for fiscal year 2021, against a benchmark of 16.30 percent. MSRPS has an 11.2 alloc