Insights

A Strategic Foundation: Twenty Years of Real Assets

Twenty years ago, we created our Real Assets Strategy to support clients seeking a strategic allocation to liquid real assets that could provide inflation protection, diversification, and long-term resilience. Daniel Farley, CIO, Investment Solutions Group, discusses the Strategy’s design and our perspective on the current environment.

March 31, 2025

Liquid real assets have been a powerful tool for investors looking for diversification, inflation protection, and the potential for long-term returns. In 2005, we introduced a Real Assets Strategy that provides cost-efficient access to a broad spectrum of real assets through index-based building blocks, including commodities, natural resources, infrastructure, REITs, and inflation-linked government bonds.

1. Strategy Design

Transparent and easy to understand, we focus on the dual objectives of both risk and real return.

2. Performance Over Time

We look at three distinct periods in our strategy history, from inception to a Post-Covid, higher inflationary environment.

3. Current Outlook

US tariff implementation, AI tailwinds, sticky inflation, and potential policy changes are factors to consider in 2025.

Considering that the strategy has performed well over a range of market conditions, there are two important points to highlight:

While real assets may typically be seen as an inflation hedge, they can provide additional benefits such as the potential for income enhancement and less correlated returns to traditional assets.
No single asset class has beaten inflation over every period, but a diversified allocation to a broad array of real assets has historically provided a meaningful measure of inflation protection, while mitigating some of the more extreme performance fluctuations of the more volatile asset classes.

To view our Real Assets Strategy Profile, click here

Disclosure

For institutional/professional investors use only.

Marketing Communication

State Street Global Advisors Worldwide Entities

South Africa: State Street Global Advisors Limited is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa under license number 42670.

Investing involves risk including the risk of loss of principal.

The whole or any part of this work may not be reproduced, copied or transmitted or any of its contents disclosed to third parties without SSGA’s express written consent.

Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss.

There are risks associated with investing in Real Assets and the Real Assets sector, including real estate, precious metals and natural resources. Investments can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries. The views expressed in this material are the views of State Street Global Advisors Investment Solutions Group through the period ended 03/05/2025 and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This document contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.

Investing in commodities entail significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Commodities investing entail significant risk as commodity prices can be extremely volatile due to wide range of factors. A few such factors include overall market movements, real or perceived inflationary trends, commodity index volatility, international, economic and political changes, change in interest and currency exchange rates.

Investing in REITs involves certain distinct risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of credit extended. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and self-liquidation. REITs, especially mortgage REITs, are also subject to interest rate risk (i.e., as interest rates rise, the value of the REIT may decline).

The major risks associated with investing in the natural resources sector, including large price volatility due to non-diversification and concentration in natural resources companies.

The information provided does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. It should not be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell a security. It does not take into account any investor’s particular investment objectives, strategies, tax status or investment horizon. You should consult your tax and financial advisor.

All information is from SSGA unless otherwise noted and has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is no representation or warranty as to the current accuracy, reliability or completeness of, nor liability for, decisions based on such information and it should not be relied on as such.

Equity securities may fluctuate in value and can decline significantly in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions.

Bonds generally present less short-term risk and volatility than stocks, but contain interest rate risk (as interest rates raise, bond prices usually fall); issuer default risk; issuer credit risk; liquidity risk; and inflation risk. These effects are usually pronounced for longer-term securities. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to a substantial gain or loss.

Investing in foreign domiciled securities may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuation in currency values, withholding taxes, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from economic or political instability in other nations. Investments in emerging or developing markets may be more volatile and less liquid than investing in developed markets and may involve exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature and to political systems which have less stability than those of more developed countries.

This document provides summary information regarding the Strategy. This document should be read in conjunction with the Strategy’s Disclosure Document, which is available from SSGA. The Strategy Disclosure Document contains important information about the Strategy, including a description of a number of risks.

For EMEA Investors:

The information contained in this communication is not a research recommendation or ‘investment research’ and is classified as a ‘Marketing Communication’ in accordance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (2014/65/EU) or applicable Swiss regulation. This means that this marketing communication (a) has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research (b) is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.

This communication is directed at professional clients this includes eligible counterparties as defined by the appropriate EU regulator who are deemed both knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to investments. The products and services to which this communication relates are only available to such persons and persons of any other description (including retail clients) should not rely on this communication.

Distributor: State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. References to State Street may include State Street Corporation and its affiliates.

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