This research examines the causal relationship between several financial variables and a portfolio of real estate returns using monthly data from January 1965 to December 1986. The empirical analysis is based on multivariate Granger-causality tests in conjunction with Akaike's final prediction error criterion. The results indicate that measures approximating monetary policy and market returns play an important role in causing changes in real estate returns. In particular, our findings suggest that base money and market returns have had significant lagged effects on cmTent real estate returns.Numerous empirical studies have examined the validity of the stock market efficiency (SME) hypothesis, particularly in regard to the role of monetary policy. In its semi-strong form, the SME hypothesis contends that stock prices reflect rapidly all publicly available (lagged) information including monetary policy moves. Our main purpose is to assess empirically the relationship between monetary policy (and other financial variables) and real estate returns. We hypothesize that while the stock market as a whole might not exhibit a lagged relation with money growth and other key variables, particular industries may. As different industries react to and against each other, the overall lagged relationship could thus be masked.The empirical evidence so far has not been inconsistent with both the SME hypothesis and the portfolio theory views of the stock market.