How to hedge against inflation: How To Hedge Against Inflation

It’s a tangible asset, and those tend to hold their value when inflation reigns, unlike paper assets. More specifically, as prices rise, so do property values, and so does the amount a landlord can charge for rent, so that the property earns higher rental income over time. American investors tend to lean towards stocks and bonds in the U.S, but the practice can be costly over the long term, especially during times of inflation. Increasing international exposure can be a good strategy to hedge against inflation. Inflation is defined by the rate at which the value of a currency is falling and, consequently, the general level of prices for goods and services is rising.

At the point in time when the forward contract expires, the buyer and seller of the forward contract engage in a currency trade or, more commonly, the buyer can request delivery of the currency. So, while keeping some cash handy is great for financial security, it’s best not to keep too much. If you do, you may find that it just doesn’t buy as much as it used to. But incurring it can also be a good financial move when inflation is rampant. Because they’re backed by the US government, TIPs are highly safe, and a good choice for conservative investors.

Borrowers of leveraged loans can shutter their business or reach a point where they are unable to pay their debts. Leveraged loans may not be as easily purchased or sold as publicly traded securities. And finally, leveraged loans generally have fewer restrictions in place to protect the lender than traditional loans. This could leave a fund exposed to greater losses if the borrower is unable to pay back the loan.

The key is knowing how to hedge against inflation—or even how to make money from inflation—with how you invest. Here’s what you need to know about how to profit from inflation, including the worst and best investments when inflation is high. According to FactSet, the word “inflation” was mentioned more on second-quarter earnings calls with investors than ever before in the last decade. Rising prices can impact your investments and, depending on how you invest, will either help or hurt your portfolio. These liquid issues will pay a higher yield than most types of bonds and may not decline in price as much as bonds when inflation appears.

Limitations of Inflation Hedging

One of the longest maturities is 30-year Treasury bonds, and it can move drastically in response to changes in rates. If you own it and interest rates rise, you’ll be hit with an immediate loss to your principal. At the bond’s maturity, you’ll be able to receive all your principal, but you may have to suffer through decades of being underwater on your investment. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

Diversification is an investment strategy based on the premise that a portfolio with different asset types will perform better than one with few. First, it is weighted toward the companies and agencies that have the most debt. In addition, it is heavily weighted toward U.S. government exposure, so it is not necessarily well-diversified across sectors of the bond market.

Inflation refers to rising prices on goods and services across an economy over a period of time. Inflation is the term used to describe the steady rise of prices for goods and services that affects all areas of the economy. These are simple, relatively low-cost moves that can help you benefit even if higher inflation doesn’t last.

Stocks

These are companies that often have little to no cash flow in the present but expect that cash flow to grow significantly—in other words, their value is tied to future earnings. Fixed income refers to assets and securities that bear fixed cash flows for investors, such as fixed rate interest or dividends. One of gold’s traditional selling points has been its status as an inflation hedge. As an actual, tangible asset, gold tends to hold its value for the most part—unlike paper currencies like the dollar, which lose purchasing powerwhen inflation is rampant. Buying senior secured bank loans is another way to earn higher yields while protecting yourself from a price drop if rates start to rise.

Real estate and hard assets, like gold or silver, are commonly cited inflation hedges. While these assets may fluctuate in price, over time, they tend to retain their value, protecting investors in times of inflation. But foreign currencies can provide investors with a similar level of protection. Real estate investment trusts are companies that own and operate income-producing real estate. Property prices and rental income tend to rise when inflation rises.

You’ll want to look for companies that have pricing power, so that as their own costs rise, they can raise prices on their customers. Inflation hedging makes it difficult for an investor to track the performance of the foreign currency. Unlike foreign currency funds and currency ETFs, inflation hedges don’t track foreign currency. An inflation hedge is a type of investment that allows investors to protect themselves from inflation.

The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index

Inflation is a natural occurrence in an economy, but inflation hedging can be used to offset the anticipated drop in a currency’s price, thus protecting the decreased purchasing power. Annuities are not often considered a good hedge against inflation; in fact, the primary risk of most annuity payouts is inflation. This is because commercial annuities generally pay a fixed monthly income, rather than an inflation-adjusted income.

This asset class has intrinsic value and provides consistent income through dividends. There are several major economies in the world that do not rise and fall in tandem with the U.S. market indices, such as Italy, Australia, and South Korea. Adding stocks from these or other similar countries can help to hedge your portfolio against domestic economic cycles. Bonds from foreign issuers can provide investors with exposure to fixed income that may not drop in price if inflation appears on the home front.

The value of forward contracts may also be tied to interest rates, controlled by several factors, including the US Federal Reserve. These factors make it difficult to assess the risk of forward contracts, flexibility that investors may want to keep in mind. For example, $1 in 1990 is equivalent to more than $2 today, so a $1,000 mortgage payment 30 years ago would be worth more than $2,000 now.

An example of a stock/bond portfolio is the Dimensional DFA Global Allocation 60/40 Portfolio . Inflation hedging can also help protect the value of an investment. Although certain investments may seem to provide a decent return, they can be sold at a loss when inflation is factored in.

However, foreign currency funds have also not been immune to inflation. Although the price of gold rose by 2,400 per cent during the 1980s, it wasn’t the only inflation hedge to fail. Inflation hedging through foreign currency is a viable investment strategy, but the best investment strategy will depend on the individual investor. While the recent political climate has created some volatility in foreign currency markets, it’s not a problem for investors who buy a foreign currency fund. These funds allow investors to hedge against inflation and get exposure to foreign markets.

Inflation hedging gives investors a way to protect against the loss of value in foreign currency, but it isn’t the best investment strategy. Consider your options before choosing an inflation hedge to protect your asset value. Also, keep in mind that inflation hedging and foreign currency funds are not the only ways to hedge against currency risks.

And the S&P 500 index does not provide any exposure to small-cap companies, which historically produced higher returns. Commodities and inflation have a unique relationship, where commodities are an indicator of inflation to come. As the price of a commodity rises, so does the price of the products that the commodity is used to produce.

How we make money

Mark Cussen, CMFC, has 13+ years of experience as a writer and provides financial education to military service members and the public. An inflation trade is an investment scheme or trading method that seeks to profit from rising price levels influenced by inflation. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. Investopedia does not include all offers available in the marketplace. Currently, the S&P 500 has a high concentration of technology businesses and communication services. (They account for a 35% stake in the Index.) Both technology and communication services are capital-light businesses, so, theoretically, they should be inflation winners.