The main reason why people buy utility stocks is to get a high dividend yield. Interest rates on other yield-focused assets will climb if inflation rises. As a result, if interest rates rise significantly, utility stock share prices will normally fall, increasing the yield. Investors in utility stocks will continue to benefit from the dividends that drew them in the first place. However, as interest rates begin to rise, an investor should not be startled to see his utility companies’ share prices fall, only to see them settle once interest rates reach a new level of stability.
Do utilities fare well in times of inflation?
It hurts consumers, but it doesn’t always hurt stocks. More properly, some industries are more resistant to inflation than others, but the utilities sector is rarely a safe haven from rising prices.
What is the best inflation-proof investment?
During inflationary periods, stocks are often a safe refuge. This is because stocks have typically produced total returns that have outperformed inflation. And certain stocks outperform others when it comes to combating inflation. Many recommended lists for 2022 include small-cap, dividend growth, consumer products, financial, energy, and emerging markets stocks. Industries that are recovering from the pandemic, such as travel, leisure, and hospitality, are also getting a thumbs up.
Another tried-and-true inflation hedge is real estate. For the year 2022, residential real estate is considered as a safe haven. Building supplies and home construction are likewise being advocated as inflation-busters. REITs, or publicly traded organizations that own real estate or mortgages, provide a means to invest in real estate without actually purchasing properties.
Commodity investments could be one of the most effective inflation hedges. Agriculture products and raw resources can be exchanged like securities. Gold, oil, natural gas, grain, meat, and coffee are just a few of the commodities that traders buy and sell. Using futures contracts and exchange-traded funds, investors can allocate a portion of their portfolios towards commodities.
During inflationary periods, bonds are often unpopular investments since the return does not keep pace with the loss of purchasing power. Treasury inflation-protected securities are a common exception (TIPS). As the CPI rises, the value of these government-backed bonds rises, removing the danger of inflation.
TIPS prices rose dramatically in tandem with inflation expectations in 2021. To put it another way, these inflation hedges are no longer as appealing as they were a year ago. Savings bonds, which the US Treasury offers directly to investors, are attracting some inflation-avoiders.
Is now a good time to invest in utilities?
Residential, commercial, industrial, and government customers receive electricity, natural gas, and water and wastewater services from utilities.
Utility stocks are generally considered to be safe investments. Even during a recession, demand for utility services tends to stay stable. Meanwhile, the fees they charge for providing these services are either regulated (by a government agency) or contractually guaranteed (nonregulated). As a result, utilities generate consistent earnings, allowing them to pay dividends with above-average returns.
Utility stocks are lower-risk investments because of their predictable profitability and income generation. As a reason, they’re frequently good choices for retirement income plans.
Utility stocks, on the other hand, do not all provide attractive investment returns. Additional distinguishing traits of the finest utilities offer them the ability to outperform. With that in mind, here are some of the best utility stocks to buy and what to look for when investing in utilities.
In a downturn, are utility stocks a decent investment?
Utility companies are an excellent defensive stock because of their recession-resistant character. Utilities rarely have a quarter with unexpected results, but they do tend to hold up well in rough markets.
Is it wise to invest in utilities in 2022?
Even if the worst is yet to come, utilities will be well-positioned in 2022 to mitigate the impact of inflation. During the recent decade, lower-for-longer interest rates and low inflation have allowed utilities to strengthen their balance sheets, improve regulation, and set aggressive expansion plans with little impact on customer rates. Furthermore, utilities are expected to be one of the few good income opportunities for investors in 2022. As of late December, the sector’s 3.3 percent average dividend yield was 180 basis points higher than the 10-year US Treasury yield, a historically advantageous premium. If rising interest rates keep inflation at bay, utilities should continue to provide investors with total returns of 7% to 9% in 2022 and beyond.
How do you protect yourself from inflation?
If rising inflation persists, it will almost certainly lead to higher interest rates, therefore investors should think about how to effectively position their portfolios if this happens. Despite enormous budget deficits and cheap interest rates, the economy spent much of the 2010s without high sustained inflation.
If you expect inflation to continue, it may be a good time to borrow, as long as you can avoid being directly exposed to it. What is the explanation for this? You’re effectively repaying your loan with cheaper dollars in the future if you borrow at a fixed interest rate. It gets even better if you use certain types of debt to invest in assets like real estate that are anticipated to appreciate over time.
Here are some of the best inflation hedges you may use to reduce the impact of inflation.
TIPS
TIPS, or Treasury inflation-protected securities, are a good strategy to preserve your government bond investment if inflation is expected to accelerate. TIPS are U.S. government bonds that are indexed to inflation, which means that if inflation rises (or falls), so will the effective interest rate paid on them.
TIPS bonds are issued in maturities of 5, 10, and 30 years and pay interest every six months. They’re considered one of the safest investments in the world because they’re backed by the US federal government (just like other government debt).
Floating-rate bonds
Bonds typically have a fixed payment for the duration of the bond, making them vulnerable to inflation on the broad side. A floating rate bond, on the other hand, can help to reduce this effect by increasing the dividend in response to increases in interest rates induced by rising inflation.
ETFs or mutual funds, which often possess a diverse range of such bonds, are one way to purchase them. You’ll gain some diversity in addition to inflation protection, which means your portfolio may benefit from lower risk.
How will you protect yourself from inflation in 2022?
During the epidemic, there was a surge in demand for products and labor, resulting in the fastest rate of consumer price and wage inflation since the early 1990s. As the pandemic passes and spending moves toward services rather than products, we believe inflation will reduce due to greater labor supply. In the end, it should not jeopardize our base case scenario, which predicts a significantly more vibrant cycle in the 2020s than we experienced in the 2010s.
However, both prices and salaries are expected to rise at a pretty rapid pace. We believe there are three ways for investors to navigate this climate.
Look to real estate for inflation protection
Because leases are regularly reset higher, real estate investors often profit from a natural inflation hedge. Furthermore, we believe the residential and industrial real estate sectors will benefit from strong structural tailwinds. Following the global financial crisis, chronic underbuilding (compared to trend) resulted in a housing shortage in the United States. Workers’ labor is in high demand, and earnings are rising, ensuring that housing remains cheap even as home prices rise. Migration enabled by remote work is also offering opportunities.
The global trend toward e-commerce will demand additional warehouses, storage, and logistics in the industrial sector. The need for further investment is highlighted by problems in the global supply chain that became apparent in 2021. We’re also seeing an increase in demand for life science research facilities. While we prefer to invest in real estate through private markets, publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) have outperformed other equities sectors during periods of rising inflation. In a nutshell, real estate is our favourite option to invest in a higher-inflation climate.
Rely on equities, especially cyclical ones, to drive capital appreciation.
While economists dispute the complexities of inflation, the fundamental principles underlying the current phase appear to be clear: Strong demand and economic growth are driving inflation. Because corporate earnings are also good in inflationary settings, equities tend to do well. We anticipate that stocks of companies that are more closely linked to economic activity and interest rates will likely outperform. Bank stock valuations, for example, have generally been linked to inflation forecasts. In cyclical industries like industrials and commodities, companies with pricing power could see strong revenue increases. Stocks that do well when growth and inflation are rare (think the digital economy) may, on the other hand, be at more risk. In our opinion, you should maintain a fair balance between the two categories, and expect a hard environment for fixed income portfolios as interest rates climb.
Avoid excess cash, and consider borrowing.
In our Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions, 80 percent of the assets we consider have a higher predicted return than inflation. Investing surplus cash in a portfolio that meets your goals and time horizon is the simplest approach to protect purchasing power. Borrowing may be prudent in the current situation. Interest rates remain low, particularly when compared to inflation. A mortgage is a straightforward approach to profit from a healthy home market. If the Federal Reserve reacts to rising inflation by boosting interest rates, borrowing expenses may become less appealing.
Key takeaways
Higher inflation is likely to persist through 2022, but it does not have to be a reason for alarm. Investors can create a portfolio that considers inflation risks and attempts to manage them. While excess cash appears unappealing, relying on equities rather than fixed income and focusing on cyclical sectors and real estate could prove to be profitable strategies. Meanwhile, while policy interest rates are still low, borrowing and settling existing liabilities may be prudent.
In the context of your individual circumstances and aspirations, your J.P. Morgan team can provide you with more information on how the present environment is influencing risk and return possibilities.
What industries benefit from inflation?
Inflationary times tend to favor five sectors, according to Hartford Funds strategist Sean Markowicz: utilities, real estate investment trusts, energy, consumer staples, and healthcare.
Is it wise to invest in electricity?
Electricity-generating plants and electrical distribution systems are expensive to construct and maintain. As a result, governments provide monopolies to electric utilities to operate in specified areas. This means they are the only ones permitted to construct and maintain a power distribution system. The government then regulates these businesses by regulating the rates and fees that they can charge customers for providing electricity. As a result, electric utilities earn predictable revenue, which is appealing to investors looking for low-risk opportunities.
A dividend, which is a cash payout of a share of the company’s profit, is usually paid to investors by electric utility stocks. Utilities have a higher dividend yield than the average, which is the ratio of a company’s yearly payout to its stock price. This is due to their decision to pay out a higher portion of their profit rather than keeping it to develop their operations. The higher dividend yields in this category make these equities appealing income investments for retirees.