Bonds for the long run? The rate of return on corporate bonds in Belgium, 1838–1939 Universiteit Antwerpen
We investigate corporate bond returns for the period 1838–1939 by compiling a unique new database of 201 000 monthly observations of bonds traded on the Brussels Stock Exchange. The value‐weighted annualized total rate of return, net of coupon defaults and taxes, is 4.35 per cent in nominal terms and 2.81 per cent in real terms. Estimates of average returns show that corporate bonds outperformed equities during the entire nineteenth century. We ...