REIT gains were in line with the broader market in July, but on a year-to-date basis, REITs have far outpaced the S&P 500 Index as investors continue to search for yield, analysts said.
The FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index had a total return of 3.9 percent in July, while the S&P 500 Index gained 3.7 percent. For the year through the end of July, the total return of the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index was 18.1 percent, while the S&P 500 Index posted a total return of 7.7 percent. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dropped 0.8 percent in the first seven months of 2016.