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Think Stocks Are the Best Long-Term Investment? Think AgainBy
Friday, August 18, 2017
The conventional wisdom says stocks have historically made for the best long-term investments.
But a new academic paper written by a number of economics professors titled "The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015" reached a surprising conclusion.
Let me explain...
"Residential real estate, not equity, has been the best long-run investment over the course of modern history," the authors concluded.
In all my decades in finance, nobody has seriously challenged the notion that stocks are always the outperformers over the long run – until this paper.
The academics studied data from 16 advanced economies (not just the U.S.), going back to 1870, building new data sets as necessary.
Here's what they found:
The last part is the really important part... housing has delivered similar returns, but with much less volatility. The researchers also point out that for the highest gains and the lowest risk, you REALLY want to own both assets. That's because they're uncorrelated, meaning one when zigs, the other doesn't necessarily zig or zag.
Specifically, the returns on housing and the returns on stocks have not been that correlated since World War II, the academics tell us. Therefore, you get "significant aggregate diversification gains from holding the two asset classes."
A few caveats...
I could go on with the caveats. And I have to admit I haven't spent a long time dissecting the paper yet. But doing that misses the point... The big story out of this paper, to me at least, is that housing (including rent) might actually be a much better performing asset class than we ever thought.
It's also nice to see that it's been somewhat uncorrelated to the stock market since World War II.
Someday, the stock market will finally turn over and start to head down. The fall in stocks could ultimately be serious and long-lasting, as stocks are pretty darn expensive right now.
If the academics are right, housing could be a good alternative when stocks start to falter... delivering solid total returns, regardless of the stock market.
Good investing,
Steve
Further Reading:
Last month, Steve explained that record-low inventory and a small number of homes being built should lead to soaring housing prices... And he shared a "one click" way to take advantage of it. Read more here: The Easiest Way to Profit in the Real Estate Boom.
Real estate mogul Peter Churchouse has invested in all types of real estate over the past 40-plus years. In this DailyWealth essay, he shares five simple tricks you can put to use right away. Get the full story here: The Single Most Important Rule for Buying Investment Real Estate.
Market NotesTHE BULL MARKET IN PONIES Today's chart shows that big sporting events can lead to big profits...
The Kentucky Derby is called the "greatest two minutes in sports." Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Louisville, Kentucky to see this iconic horse race. Millions more tune in from the comfort of their own homes.
Churchill Downs (CHDN) owns the Derby's racetrack. The company also owns four other racetracks as well as gaming operations that include online wagering, poker, slots, and hotels. Over the past year, Churchill Downs has earned record sales and profits. Business is booming...
As you can see from the chart below, shares have consistently climbed higher over the past five years... and they hit a new all-time high this week. The Derby continues to be a "must see" event, with more than 15 million people tuning in annually to watch the race. And that has translated into big gains for investors...
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