New Jersey Pension Fund Posts 14.82% Return for Fiscal 2026

New Jersey’s public employee pension fund returned 14.82% for the 12 months ended June 30, 2026, state officials told the State Investment Council on Oct. 28, according to ROI-NJ and the New Jersey Globe. That is 7.82 percentage points above the fund’s 7% long-term assumption. The figures are unaudited pending the fiscal 2026 audit.

The three-year annualized return is 12.16%. Emerging-market stocks returned 39.53%, U.S. equity 23.20%, international developed-market equity 21.61% and real assets 23.76%, ROI-NJ reported. NJ Spotlight News said first-quarter returns for fiscal 2027 were under 1% through September, and officials cited election uncertainty.

The state made a record $7.3 billion payment, its sixth straight full contribution and the first under Gov. Mikie Sherrill. ROI-NJ and the Globe reported that Kroll Bond Rating Agency cited the payment when it raised New Jersey’s general obligation bond rating from A+ to AA-. The Globe quoted Treasurer Aaron Binder, who called the results “a huge step in returning the pension fund to solid ground.” NJ Spotlight reported that actuaries say undoing past underfunding will take decades, and that members of the public urged divestment from some holdings at the meeting.