Getting Real

The cracks between the paving stones
Look like rivers of flowing veins
Strange people who know me
Peeping from behind every window pane
--The Who

One snapshot of the value of real assets relative to financial assets.

Real assets are those things that you can touch (e.g., commodities, real estate, collectibles) while financial securities are those things paper (e.g., stocks, bonds).

This particular graph shows real assets at historic lows relative to financial assets. The results find me a bit skeptical because the value of real estate is closer to all time highs rather than all time lows.

Nonetheless, the general implication rings true. When allocating investment capital currently, real assets seem a better value than the paper stuff.