REITs Continue to Outpace Broader Market

In the latest edition of Quick Study, Brad Case, NAREIT’s senior vice president for research and industry information, pointed out that while REIT returns dropped modestly in February, the sector outperformed the broader market on a year-to-date basis.

The total returns of the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index fell 0.3 percent in February, while the S&P 500 Index lost 0.1 percent. For the year to March 3, the total returns of the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index dropped 0.1 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 2.1 percent.

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Viewpoint: Sovereign Wealth Funds Among Major Stories for REITs

Greg Steele

The prospects for REITs in 2016 are encouraging, with sovereign wealth funds continuing to invest aggressively in U.S. markets and the Fed’s policy of incremental interest rate hikes signaling confidence in the U.S. economy as a whole. Although the precipitous decline in oil prices has created headwinds in Houston, especially for multifamily and office sectors, even here, job growth remains positive. In the meantime, REITs are reconfiguring their portfolios to focus on new uses of space in the industrial and office sectors in response to new business models and advances in technology.

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REITs Hold Steady in February; Fundamentals Positive

REITs fell back slightly in February, but fundamentals in the sector remain on a solid footing, according to analysts.

The total returns of the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index fell 0.3 percent in February, while the S&P 500 Index lost 0.1 percent. For the year to March 1, the total returns of the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index dropped 1.3 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 2.8 percent.

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Freestanding Retail REITs Expected to Continue Outperformance

Freestanding retail REITs are likely to remain market outperformers as long as the broader macroeconomic outlook remains uncertain, according to analysts.

As of Feb. 19, returns for freestanding retail REITs were 14.5 percent higher year-to-date. That compares with a 5.9 percent decline in returns for the FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index.

R.J. Milligan, a senior analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., describes the segment as “one of the top performers over the past 10 years.”

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