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To achieve financial freedom and grow wealth over long periods of time, it’s vital to understand the concept of inflation.

Inflation refers to the ever-increasing price of goods and services as measured against a particular currency. The purchasing power of a currency depreciates as a result of rising prices. Put differently, a rising rate of inflation equates to a decreasing value of a currency.

Inflation is most commonly measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which averages the national cost of many consumer items such as food, housing, healthcare, and more.

The opposite of inflation is deflation, which happens when prices fall. During deflation, cash becomes the most valuable asset because it can buy more. During inflation, other assets become more valuable than cash because it takes more currency to purchase them.

The key question to examine is: What assets perform the best during inflationary times?

This is a much-debated topic among investment analysts and economists, with many differing opinions. And while there may be no single answer to that question, there are still some generally agreed upon concepts that can help to inform investors on the subject.

Is Inflation Good or Bad for Investors?

Depending on an individual’s perspective, inflation might be seen as either good or bad.

For the average person who tries to save money without investing much, inflation could generally be seen as negative. A decline in the purchasing power of the saver’s currency leads to them being less able to afford things, ultimately resulting in a lower standard of living.

For wealthier investors who hold a lot of financial assets, however, inflation might be perceived in a more positive light. As the prices of goods and services rise, so do financial assets. This leads to increasing wealth for some investors. And because currencies always depreciate over the long-term, those who hold a diversified basket of financial assets for long periods of time tend to realize significant returns.

It’s generally thought that there is a certain level of inflation that contributes to a healthier economy by encouraging spending without damaging the purchasing power of the consumer. The idea is that when there is just enough inflation, people will be more likely to spend some of their money sooner, before it depreciates, leading to an increase in economic growth.

When there is too much inflation, however, people can wind up spending most of their income on necessities like food and rent, and there won’t be much discretionary income to spend on other things, which could restrict economic growth.

Central banks like the Federal Reserve try to control inflation through monetary policy. Sometimes their policies can create inflation in financial assets, like quantitative easing has been said to do.

5 Tips for Hedging Against Inflation

The concept of inflation seems simple enough. But what might be some of the best ways investors can protect themselves?

There are a number of different strategies investors use to hedge against inflation. The common denominators tend to be hard assets with a limited supply and financial assets that tend to see large capital inflows during times of currency devaluation and rising prices.

Here are five tips that may help investors hedge against inflation.

1. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a company that deals in real estate, either through owning, financing, or operating a group of properties. Through buying shares of a REIT, investors can gain exposure to the assets that the company owns or manages.

REITs are income-producing assets, like dividend-yielding stocks. They pay a dividend to investors who hold shares. In fact, REITs are required by law to distribute 90% of their income to investors.

Holding REITs in a portfolio might make sense for some investors as a potential inflation hedge because they are tied to a hard asset—real estate. During times of high inflation, hard assets tend to rise in value against their local currencies because their supply is limited. There will be an ever-increasing number of dollars (or euros, or yen, etc.) chasing a fixed number of hard assets, so the price of those things will tend to go up.

Owning physical real estate—like a home, commercial complex, or rental property—also works as an inflation hedge. But most investors can’t afford to purchase or don’t care to manage such properties. Holding shares of a REIT provides a much easier way to get exposure to real estate.

2. Bonds and Equities

The recurring theme regarding inflation hedges is that the price of everything goes up. What investors are generally concerned with is choosing the assets that go up in price the fastest, with the greatest possible return.

In some cases, it might be that stocks and bonds very quickly rise very high in price. But in an economy that sees hyperinflation, those holding cash won’t see their investment, i.e., cash, have the purchasing power it may have once had.

In such a scenario, the specific securities aren’t as important as making sure that capital gets allocated to stocks or bonds in some amount, instead of holding all capital in cash.

3. Exchange-Traded Funds

An exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks a particular stock index or group of investment types is another way to get exposure to assets that are likely to increase in value during times of inflation and can also be a strategy to maximize diversification in an investor’s portfolio. ETFs are generally passive investments, which may make them a good fit for those who are new to investing or want to take a more hands-off approach to investing. Since they are considered a diversified investment, they may be a good hedge against inflation.

4. Gold and Gold Mining Stocks

For thousands of years, humans have used gold as a store of value. Although the price of gold or other precious metals can be somewhat volatile in the short term, few assets have maintained their purchasing power as well as gold in the long term. Like real estate, gold is a hard asset with limited supply.

Still, the question of “is gold a hedge against inflation?” has different answers depending on whom you ask. Some critics claim that because there are other variables involved and the price of gold doesn’t always track inflation exactly, that it is not a good inflation hedge. And there might be some circumstances under which this holds true.

During short periods of rapid inflation, however, there’s no question that the price of gold rises sharply. Consider the following:

•  During the time between 1970 and 1974, for example, the price of gold against the US dollar surged from $240 to more than $900 for a gain of 73%.
•  During and after the recession of 2007 to 2009, the price of gold doubled from less than $1,000 in November 2008, to $2,000 in August 2011.
•  In 2019 and 2020, gold has hit all-time record highs against many different fiat currencies.

Investors seeking to add gold to their portfolio have a variety of options. Physical gold coins and bars might be the most obvious example, although these are difficult to obtain and store safely.

5. Better Understanding Inflation in the Market

Ultimately, no assets are 100% protected from inflation, but some investments might be better than others for some investors. Understanding how inflation affects investments is the beginning of growing wealth over time and achieving financial goals. Still have questions about hedging investments against inflation? SoFi credentialed financial planners are available to answer questions about investments at no additional cost to members.

Downloading and using the stock trading app can be a helpful tool for investors who want to stay up to date with how their investments are doing or keeping an eye on the market in general.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Invest®
The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC . The umbrella term “SoFi Invest” refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, LLC and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below.

Investment Risk: Diversification can help reduce some investment risk. It cannot guarantee profit, or fully protect in a down market.

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It can be daunting to sit down and try to learn even just the basics about the stock market—for example, it might be downright revelatory to learn that there is no all-encompassing “stock market,” but instead many stock exchanges and markets. Rather than trying to absorb everything in one go, a good crash course that can help newcomers wanting to be better informed about the topic side-step a lot of minutiae of the alphabet soup (NASDAQ, NYSE, DJIA, etc.) starts with a good look at the S&P 500.

For further context, here’s SoFi’s guide on how stock exchanges work in general.

Who is Standard & Poor’s Anyway?

Standard & Poor’s is a financial services company specializing in conducting research and analysis that helps investors recognize opportunities and make better, more informed decisions. The company’s roots date back to 1860 with the publication of a book of financial information on the US railroad industry—which is only worth mentioning and being aware of in the 21st century as an indication of how steeped the company is in its mission to help provide transparency into the world of investing.

A History of the S&P 500: 1957 – Now

The S&P 500 was first introduced in 1957, the result of ongoing and gradual expansions to S&P’s previous, comparatively more limited stock indexes—like 1926’s roll-out of a daily round-up of 90 stocks. Its emergence in 1957, according to S&P’s official history, was made possible by “an electronic calculation method developed by Boston-based Melpar, Inc., that allowed S&P to perform index calculations much more efficiently than before.” And while S&P reportedly could have tracked every stock on the New York Stock Exchange, it was decided to instead limit its scope to stocks that account for over 90% of total US market value. (When it began, the S&P 500 consisted of 425 industrial companies, 25 railroad companies, and 50 utility companies.)

A big reason why the S&P 500 is today widely considered by many investors to be perhaps the single best overall indicator of how large US stocks are performing is because of, as the name suggests, how comprehensive this index is. The S&P 500 is comprised of 500 large-cap stocks (meaning a company valued at being worth more than $10 billion) representing the leading industries of the US economy, including everything from healthcare and information technology to utilities and many more. The S&P 500 tracks both the liquidity (how easily their stock can be purchased) and also the risk associated with those companies.

Altogether, the S&P 500 gives an overview of how larger companies are performing, and as a result how many investor portfolios are performing as well. Through mutual funds or exchange-traded funds, it’s possible to participate as an investor in these large companies. SoFi’s financial planners can advise interested investors on what might make sense for your situation.

While on paper the S&P 500 is by a great measure more comprehensive than the Dow Jones Industrial Average (which measures the stock performance of only 30 large companies listed on stock exchanges), it should also be noted that a handful of the S&P 500 either are incorporated in or have headquarters located in other countries, like manufacturer Trane Technologies (Ireland) or oil and gas company TechnipFMC (England). In other words, while the S&P 500 can give a solid overview of how large American companies are performing, it’s also an international index. To learn more about index investing and building a portfolio bigger than what might be right in your backyard, this overview on index investing is worth a look.

S&P 500 Earnings History

A quick look at the S&P 500 price history’s biggest milestones only further bolsters its potential usefulness as a market indicator for investment decisions. To start with the bummer news and get it out of the way first, consider some of the lowest performances tracked and posted by the S&P 500: The stock market crash of 2008, for example, saw the market close at 903.25, with a point loss of 565.10 and overall being down 38.49%. The stock market crash of 1931, part of the Great Depression, was even worse, with Standard & Poor’s clocking a closing level of 8.12, a point loss of 7.22 and the market being down 47.07%.

In contrast, and maybe not a surprise, when the United States pulled out of the Great Depression in 1933 stands among some of the biggest high points in this country’s earnings history: That year S&P clocked the market surge ahead by 46.59%, closing at 10.10 and a point increase of 3.21. More recently, March 13, 2020 saw the market close at a record closing level of 2,711.02, representing a 230.38 point change and a 9.29% jump.

As that recent date and activity suggests, while things are getting more volatile nationwide with COVID-19 with massive layoffs, unemployment claims, and uncertainty about when the economy will reopen, the markets are being shaken up quite a bit: Just 10 days after that previously cited higher point, on March 23, 2020 the S&P 500 closed at 2,237.4. On April 17, 2020 it had already bumped back up to 2,874.56.

But if there’s anything that can make eyes gloss over more than alphabet soup it’s a wall of numbers. All these figures really mean is that the S&P 500 is regarded as one of the leading authorities in gauging how the US is doing financially.

Getting Started

SoFi has a team of credentialed financial advisors available to answer investors’ questions and help them reach their goals. Whether they’re interested in choosing individual stocks or trying an index fund, it’s important for investors to keep track of their portfolio and current market trends.

SoFi Invest®
The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC . The umbrella term “SoFi Invest” refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, LLC and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

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A stock market index measures the performance of a particular “basket” of stocks, representing a specific industry or region. Investors use these market indexes in many ways—to analyze current market conditions, identify industry trends, and invest in index funds.

To help you better understand how market indexes work and how investors use them to their advantage, here’s a deep dive into the inner workings of stock market indexes.

What is a Market Index?

A stock market index tracks a specific group of stocks in a market segment, like a specific industry or region. Indexes can tell investors and financial institutions a lot about specific investments, the sector as a whole, even the overall economy. Here are a few insights investors look to indexes for:

•  To understand how the economy is performing
•  To help with trend forecasting
•  To create benchmarks to evaluate a particular investments’ profitability

Take, for example, the S&P 500, which tracks the 500 largest publicly-traded U.S. companies in the stocks market. Each company is carefully selected to embody every primary industry, thus creating a replication of the market as a whole. Conceptually, an investor might look at the past performance of the S&P 500 to assess whether the stock market is emerging or receding.

How Stock Market Indexes Work

Indexes are made up of hundreds and sometimes thousands of stocks. However, the index doesn’t evenly assess each stock. Depending on what stocks have higher weight in an index, their performance may have more or less influence on how the index performs overall.

There are a few ways indexes are typically weighted:

•  Price weighted: In price-weighted indexes, the stocks with the higher price will have a greater influence on overall performance than those with lower prices.
•  Capitalization weighted: These indexes look at the total value (or market capitalization) of each stock’s outstanding share to determine its weighted value, giving smaller market caps a lower percentage weighting, and higher market caps a larger one.
•  Value weighted: A light math formula is employed in this type of index, where the price of the stock is multiplied by the number of outstanding shares.
•  Equal weighted: In this index type, all stocks are given equal weight, regardless of market cap, value, or price.

Types of Stock Market Indexes

While there are many indexes investors and financial professionals can follow, here are a few examples of stock market indexes.

•  S&P 500. The S&P 500 measures the largest publicly-traded U.S. stocks. Financial professionals use the performance of the S&P 500 as a basis to compare other investment options.
•  NASDAQ Composite Index. The NASDAQ Composite Index measures over 3,000 global and U.S. stocks registered on the NASDAQ stock market. Because it covers so many stocks, it is one of the most followed and quoted indexes. Some of the types of stocks include common stock and real estate trusts (REITs).
•  Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, commonly known as the DJIA, measures 30 US-based blue-chip stocks that are often referred to as the foundation of the U.S. economy. These stocks usually include companies in market segments of the economy, with the exception of transportation and utilities (the Dow Jones has separate indexes for those two sectors).
•  Russell 2000 Index. In contrast to the S&P 500, which follows large-cap stocks, the Russell 2000 follows 2000 of the smallest companies in the U.S. market (or small-cap stocks), making it a good benchmark for small, publicly-traded companies.

How to Invest in a Stock Market Index

Although it’s possible to purchase all stocks within a particular index, this method might be too time-consuming, complicated, and potentially expensive. Another option is to invest in ETFs or index funds or that attempt to replicate indexes’ performance, known as an index fund. This investment strategy is often referred to as index investing.

With index investing, investors can effortlessly access index funds. By investing in index funds, they can also follow some common investing pillars, such as diversification. For example, investing in an index fund helps investors exercise a diversification strategy instead of a strategy centered around stock-picking and market timing.

Advantages of Investing in a Stock Market Index

As an investment strategy, index investing has certain benefits that may attract investors. These are the big ones.

Index Advantage: Simple Investment Management

By investing in a stock market index, investors may earn better returns with minimal effort, making index investing an easier way to manage their investments.

Investing in a stock market index is typically considered a passive investing strategy, where investors buy and hold securities to hopefully capitalize on long-term gains. Conversely, active investors buy and sell securities with the intent to beat the market or some form of index returns.

Because active investors are more hands-on, it’s easy to assume that they may reap higher returns than what the average index investor would see. But that’s not necessarily so. In fact, according to the SPIVA Report , over the past five years, 77.97% of actively managed large-cap funds underperformed the S& P 500.

In addition to most actively managed funds underperforming their passive investing counterparts, active investing requires a lot of time, analysis and is often very challenging.

Index Advantage: Diversification

Diversification is considered by some to be one of the vital building blocks of a thorough investment strategy. With diversification, investors spread their investment across various assets instead of putting all of their money into a single security.

Since investments may perform differently in dissimilar economic environments, diversification may help investors minimize their risk exposure. In other words, if one investment drops in value, investors still have other investments to potentially make up for the loss.

A stock market index fund packages many different stocks in an individual investment, providing nearly instant diversification, vs. investing in just one stock.

Index Advantage: Minimal Barriers to Entry

For investors on a strict budget, it might be challenging to invest in more than just a few companies. However, by investing in a stock market index, they have exposure to a large assortment of stocks using the same amount of cash.

What’s more, investors don’t need the assistance of a money manager or financial advisor to invest in an index. That said, it’s still essential to review any related fees and costs. While indexes tend to have lower taxes and fees, it’s generally a good idea to review all costs involved in any investment before moving forward.

Disadvantages of Investing in Stock Market Indexes

Few things in life are perfect, and that includes investments. Here are some common disadvantages of investing in stock market indexes.

Index Disadvantage: Not a Short-Term Investment Strategy

Because indexes follow the market, their value increases incrementally, making them a better long-term investment strategy than short-term. Investors may also see fluctuations in returns, since they’ll go through various business cycles—Which means that at times, investors may see very small, if any, increases to their portfolios.

Index Disadvantage: They Don’t Fully Follow a Certain Index

Stock market indexes may closely chart the index they track, but they may not perform exactly how the entire index performs. This is because indexes typically don’t include all of the stocks within a particular index; they only include a snapshot of the index as a whole. Thus, the index fund can’t wholly mimic the performance of the entire index.

However, while the index doesn’t directly mimic a stock market’s performance, it tends to have similar price fluctuations. So, if the market increases, typically the index will as well.

The Takeaway

The stock market index is a useful way for investors and analysts to get a sense of how a certain segment of the market is performing—whether that’s the top 500 publicly-traded large-cap US companies or the bottom 2000 small-cap ones. It’s also a way for investors to diversify their portfolios in one move, by investing in an index fund or ETF.

For investors who are interested, the government recommends reviewing all of the information available on a particular index, including the fund’s prospectus and most recent shareholder report. You may also want to identify the fees, your investment goals, and the investment risk of investing in a particular index.

Using the SoFi Invest® online investing platform can help you easily monitor your investments, and invest in low-cost ETFs with no SoFi management fees. ETFs give you exposure to a wide variety of stocks for a fraction of the cost of investing in each stock individually.

SoFi Invest®