For the 100 largest retirement systems in the country, total holdings and investments exceeded the same quarter one year ago, with an increase of 10.1 percent from $2,229.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008 to $2,454.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009 and demonstrated the first positive year-to-year change since the first quarter of 2008. Total holdings and investments continued their quarter-to-quarter climb for the third consecutive quarter, with an increase of 3.2 percent from $2,379.2 billion in the third quarter of 2009.