This article studies the inflation-protection qualities of cash, bonds, stocks, and direct real estate, and the optimal inflation-protecting asset allocations within a downside risk framework. Using a value-at-risk model to capture predictable price dynamics, the authors find that the...

The components of GDP (residential investment, durables, nondurables, equipment and software, and business structures) display a pronounced lead-lag structure. We investigate the implications of this lead-lag structure for the cross-section of asset returns. We find that the leading GDP...