This study also departs from earlier research on this topic in that it focuses on survey- based expectations. Investor cash flow projections are largely inferred from surveys of equity analysts’ earnings forecasts, while inflation expectations are drawn from surveys of professional forecasters. While having its own disadvantages, particularly a relatively short history, the use of survey expectations are a direct measure of market expectations, eliminating the need to make strong identifying assumptions on how expectations are formed. Most studies aimed at explaining correlation between expected inflation and stock returns--and, for that matter, much of the broader research on the determinants of aggregate returns--gauge expectations.
