Stanford’s endowment investments returned 14.4 percent for the past fiscal year, easily beating Harvard’s 11 percent return, which I discussed in a previous post, and crushing Yale’s 8.9 percent return. Though it’s just one year (and Stanford’s 10 year annualized returns do trail both of those rivals), it’s a heartening note and a sign that Stanford is on the way back to its original form. The endowment itself recovered almost 10 percent due to reduced payouts in light of the financial crisis. Holding on to its private equity stakes seems to have paid off. We may still be down by 20 percent from peak value, but it’s good to be on the road back.
Update: even the Harvard Crimson admits defeat, if only to have a chance to call out Yale.
