Time EEM with Real T-note Yield?

A subscriber, citing an assertion (without explanation) from an interview with a hedge fund manager, asked for confirmation that negative real yields on U.S. Treasury instruments predict poor returns for emerging market equities.  To investigate, we look at interactions between the real return on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes (T-notes) and return on iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM). We calculate the real yield on T-notes by substracting from its nominal yield the inflation rate for the last 12 months as indicated by the U.S. Consumer Price Index, All Items (CPI). We measure T-note yield and dividend-adjusted EEM price at the close on monthly CPI release dates. Using the specified monthly data during April 2003 (limited by EEM history) through March 2022, we find that: (more…)