Eugene F. Fama

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637

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G. William Schwert

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
and National Bureau of Economic Research

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Journal of Financial Economics, 5 (November 1977) 115-146

JFE All Star Paper

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We estimate the extent to which various assets were hedges against the expected and unexpected components of the inflation rate during the 1953-71 period. We find that U. S. government bonds and bills were a complete hedge against expected inflation, and private residential real estate was acomplete hedge against both expected and unexpected inflation. Labor income showed little short-term relationship with either expected or unexpected inflation. The most anomalous result is that common stock returns were negatively related to the expected component of the inflation rate, and probably also to the unexpected component.

Key words: Inflation, interest rates, stock returns

JEL Classifications: G12, G14, E31

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Cited 411 times in the SSCI through 2007

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© Copyright 1977, Elsevier

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© Copyright 1998-2008, G. William Schwert

Last Updated on 1/1/2008