Northern Trust has released data showing past consecutive quarterly gains have come to a halt for institutional asset owners who had flat-to-negative investment returns in 2018's first quarter. 

According to Northern Trust, the median institutional investment plan posted a 0.4 percent loss as U.S. equity markets changed direction into the negative for the quarter. 

“Market uncertainty meant there were few places to hide in the first quarter,” Northern Trust's regional head of Investment Risk and Analytical Services Mark Bovier said in a statement. 

“Publicly traded equities returned a negative 0.3 percent at the median in the Northern Trust Universe, and the median fixed income program lost 1 percent," Bovier said. "Alternatives were in positive territory, with the median private equity program up 2.2 percent and real estate and hedge funds gaining a more modest 0.6 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively."

Northern Trust tracks 300 large U.S. institutional investment plan's performance with a combined asset value of about $965.1 billion.