Inflation and Individual Equities

26 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2011

See all articles by Andrew Ang

Andrew Ang

BlackRock, Inc

Marie Briere

Amundi Asset Management; Paris Dauphine University; Université Libre de Bruxelles

Ombretta Signori

AXA Investment Managers

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Date Written: April 6, 2011

Abstract

We study the inflation hedging ability of individual stocks. While the poor inflation hedging ability of the aggregate stock market has long been documented, there is considerable heterogeneity in how individual stock returns covary with inflation. Stocks with good inflation-hedging abilities since 1990 have had higher returns, on average, than stocks with low inflation betas and tend to be drawn from the Oil and Gas and Technology sectors. However, we show that the time variation of stock inflation betas is substantial. This makes it difficult to construct portfolios of stocks that are good inflation hedges out of sample. This is true for portfolios constructed on past inflation betas, sector portfolios, and portfolios constructed from high-paying dividend stocks.

Suggested Citation

Ang, Andrew and Briere, Marie and Signori, Ombretta, Inflation and Individual Equities (April 6, 2011). Netspar Discussion Paper No. 04/2011-069, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1919498 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1919498

Andrew Ang (Contact Author)

BlackRock, Inc ( email )

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Marie Briere

Amundi Asset Management ( email )

90 Boulevard Pasteur
Paris, 75015
France

Paris Dauphine University ( email )

Université Libre de Bruxelles ( email )

Brussels
Belgium

Ombretta Signori

AXA Investment Managers ( email )

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