>BTW this is normal. Historically, negative real returns on stores of value were the norm. Before financial systems existed, almost all investments had negative returns if you didn’t put work and energy into them
Citation needed? Government bonds historically paid something like 4%; here's the German government's from the 19th century, over a a time of low inflation and income taxes:
Citation needed? Government bonds historically paid something like 4%; here's the German government's from the 19th century, over a a time of low inflation and income taxes:
https://qz.com/241890/the-complete-history-of-german-bond-yi...
Italian Renaissance bonds never went below 5%, similar for the Dutch golden age:
http://globalfinancialdata.com/7-centuries-of-government-bon...