It’s an underappreciated asset class that offers investors one of the few direct ways to protect themselves against rising inflation.
“The real yield is getting back to abnormally high levels,” says Rob Arnott, the founder of Research Associates. “Looking at 10- and 30-year TIPS and 10- and 30-year Treasuries, the easy choice is to own TIPS. Inflation is more of a risk than the markets give it credit for.” TIPS bond prices have been hit hard, along with regular Treasuries, in the past two years. That has soured some investors on the $2 trillion sector. While TIPS holders have benefited from higher inflation, the bonds have lost value, reflecting the sharp rise in real yields from negative 1% in early 2022. But real yields may be close to peaking even if Treasury yields rise.