Equities vs bonds

Equities vs bonds
Equity pundits have long maintained that this is the best instrument for the long term. But now they face an unexpected contender bonds. The median 10-year return for a sample of 978 stocks that were listed and traded in 1998 is 10.5%, while the average return is 11.4%. This compares with the 10-year bond yield of 12.2% in December 1988, say Ridham Desai and Sheela Rathi, who penned a recent Morgan Stanley report on 10-year returns. The phenomenon is not limited to the Indian markets. Even the Dow Jones has listed zero return in the past 10 years. As primary market observer Prithvi Haldea puts it, Buy and forget was the rule of the past. As it was an era of physical share certificates, often the next generation discovered them and made fortunes, he says. Such a lottery is no longer possible, given the nature of the markets.

Source
http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/innernews.asp?storyId=89307&lmn=1