We provide evidence on the role of commodity futures in portfolios comprised of stocks, bonds, T‐bills, and real estate. Over the period investigated (1973–1997), Markowitz optimization over a range of risk levels gives substantial weight to commodity futures, thereby enhancing the...

Thirty-eight years of U.S. data indicate that U.S. monetary policy continues to have a strong relationship with security returns. U.S. stock returns are consistently higher and less volatile when the Federal Reserve is following an expansive monetary policy. Furthermore, the monetary...