Most investors turn to equities for long-term growth and inflation protection. In so doing, they also take on higher levels of risk. As a result, these investors end up with portfolios that are extremely vulnerable to negative returns in the stock market. Other asset classes-many of which have a more direct link with inflation-offer risk premiums consistent with "growth" assets and diversification benefits that can protect investments from negative returns in any one asset class. In this issue we examine the efficacy of stocks in real return space and discover their inflation hedging promise is a bit overstated.

Over extended periods of time, equities have provided returns in excess of inflation, but they have done so with higher levels of risk (or volatility) than safer, less risky assets like bonds and cash. The annual volatility (as measured by standard deviation) of the S&P 500 Index has consistently averaged around 16%, more than twice that of long-term bonds. Combine this extra risk with a lower place on the bankruptcy food chain and you've got an asset class where investors should demand (and have historically received) more return. Furthermore, equities tend to participate in the real growth of the economy, passing along price increases to consumers and maintaining their long-term earnings streams. For these reasons, equities tend to receive a large allocation—50% or higher in endowments, pensions, and 401(k) accounts—in nearly every long-term oriented portfolio. Indeed, "stocks for the long run" is a near universal mantra in our industry.¹

Of course, equities aren't the only asset class to offer protection against rising prices over time. Other asset categories can effectively serve this purpose as well. An obvious choice is Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (or "TIPS"). In fact, their prices adjust annually with the national CPI-U inflation rate guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Unfortunately, TIPS have a limited history in the United States, with their 1997 inception making an extended comparison to equities difficult.

Commodities and real estate also offer an economic rationale for providing long-term excess returns. These asset classes can be accessed relatively easily through commodity futures and real estate investment trusts (REITs). In the case of commodity futures, buyers provide hedgers (like the farmer wanting to lock in his wheat profits) price protection for which they expect to garner an insurance premium.² Investors in REITs expect to earn outsized returns for accepting the uncertainty surrounding property depreciation and rental income related to swings in the broad economy. In addition, both categories feature very direct links to inflation as commodity futures rise in price with the cost of raw materials while REITs can pass along price increases in the form of higher rents. Indexes tracking commodity futures and REITs have data that extend back to the early 1970s.

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