Which is the better investment, shares or property? The question has been asked many times by investors but with little in the way of reliable answers. Now, findings from investment management firm Willis Owen show that over the last 20 years, shares have delivered a higher return on investment (ROI) than property.
Does this mean that shares are a better investment for your money? Let’s try to find out.
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Property vs shares: which has performed better?
Investing in property has become quite popular in the UK in recent times. For example, many people have purchased buy-to-let properties as an investment strategy.
But while these property investors have benefited from rental growth as well capital growth due to an increase in house prices, the stats show that returns in the sector have not been as good as those from shares.
In the last two decades, the average UK residential property delivered an ROI of 147%. That is marginally lower than than the 149% ROI delivered by shares.
The timing of these returns matters a lot, however.
The year 2001 marked the start of a strong property market as shares suffered from the bursting of the technology, media and telecom (TMT) bubble.
The bursting of the bubble saw some stocks decline in value by as much as 75% from their previous highs. This resulted in investors rushing to move their money into what they considered as more secure investments.
However, in the last decade, shares have come into their own and delivered more than double the ROI of property.
The MSCI World, an international equity index that tracks more than 1600 stocks from 23 developed countries and 26 emerging markets, has witnessed returns of 134%. The FE UK Property Proxy on the other hand has seen returns of just 58% in the same period.
Why have shares seen a higher ROI than property?
This could be due to a couple of factors. Adrian Lowcock, head of personal investing at Willis Owen, credits the better performance of shares to the impact of unprecedented stimulus measures. He says that these have significantly boosted investors’ returns.
At the same time, despite surging property prices, the returns of investors have been hampered by several events. These include changes to the UK tax system that have seen buyers accrue more costs and expenses when buying property.
For example, in April 2016, the government slapped an additional 3% stamp duty on second homes and buy-to-lets. Also, in 2017, the government started to phase out tax relief on mortgage interest payments for these kinds of properties.
The overall result has been lower returns for investors in this sector.
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Does that make shares the better investment?
The bald facts show that yes, shares have delivered a higher ROI than property over the last two decades. And so, one could say that shares are the better investment.
But this short answer ignores the more complex realities of life. Smart investing has less to do with events in the marketplace and more to do with your available capital or resources and your investment strategy.
For this reason, whether shares outperform property or vice versa is of little concern to long-term investors. There’s an almost infinite number of factors that can cause markets to swing one way or the other. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Property or shares: which offers the best ROI?
As an investor, your focus should be on crafting an investment strategy that is based on factors within your control (i.e. your goals, preferences and capabilities) and then sticking to it.
For example, you may find that investing in shares makes more sense to you because of the relative ease of buying and selling them. With a share dealing account or a stocks and shares ISA, you can literally start trading shares in minutes.
Or if you prefer investing in something more tangible, or that brings you a regular monthly income in form of rent, perhaps property is the right option for you.
Of course, it’s also possible to combine the two investment vehicles and in the process build a diversified portfolio.
Diversification is what most experts recommend. Through a well-balanced portfolio that comprises both shares and property, you get the best of both worlds while also spreading the risk.
