2003 was a good year for the stock market and, not surprisingly, for Notre Dame’s investments as well.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index rose 28.7 percent for the calendar year while Notre Dame’s diversified pool of endowment and other invested capital returned just under 25 percent. (The U.S. equities portion of Notre Dame’s investments rose 38.6 percent for the year while its international equities were up 39.4 percent.)
Trustees measure the performance of the University’s investment professionals by looking at a benchmark portfolio reflecting the sectors in which the funds are invested. That benchmark portfolio returned 18.6 percent last year.
The value of the endowment portion of the investment pool rose to nearly $3 billion by year’s end from approximately $2.6 billion a year earlier.