He sold the house to a rock guitarist, who paid a 15% premium over the neighbourhood's already stratospheric prices.

Of course, prolonged deflation could make bonds good value, even at today's stratospheric prices.

Former guests fall into a smelling-salts swoon when recalling it, and even at these stratospheric prices, it's often sold out.

Alas, they were mostly released at stratospheric prices, few wanted to pay.

Clearly, investors have not been snapping up houses at ever-more stratospheric prices over the past quarter of a century solely in order to squeeze bigger rents out of their tenants.