From a small northwestern observatory…

In a Gallup Poll released yesterday, Americans preferred real estate to the stock market by a margin of 35% to 27%.  This comes even as stock market indices are nearing all-time highs.

According to Gallup’s numbers, real estate has been the leader among four investment classes (real estate, stocks, savings accounts, and gold) since 2014.   Indeed, real estate as a preferred investment has actually grown in stature, from 30% to 35%, even as the stock market continued to lofty heights.  The big loser during this period was gold, shrinking from 24% of Americans preferring it in 2014 down to 14% today.

Gallup’s survey of investment preferences began in 2002.  Back then, and until the onset of the recession, real estate was preferred by investors at 50%.  During the recession, savings accounts or CDs were on the ascendency, and in fact gold topped the list in 2011 and 2012.

By the way, Gallup also finds that American stock ownership has declined in recent years.  Before the recession, in 2004, about 63% of Americans directly owned stocks or a stock mutual fund.  That declined to 52% in 2013 and today stands at 55%.