iShares U.S. Real Estate Price, Forecast, Insider, Ratings, Fundamentals & Signals

REITs experienced a 26% drop in prices due to rising interest rates, creating opportunities for investors. Despite the overall decline, many REIT sectors, such as industrial, multifamily, and manufactured housing, showed strong FFO/share growth. The market pricing of REITs did not align with their fundamental performance, creating mispricing in sectors like retail, towers, and self-storage.

U.S. equity markets rebounded from their worst weekly decline in a year despite a continued uplift in benchmark interest rates, as a solid start to earnings season counteracted disappointing economic data. Ahead of the Fed's policy meeting in the week ahead, markets were confounded - albeit temporarily - by a "jarring" GDP report that showed a return of "stagflationary" trends. Defying the macro headwinds to post its best week since November, the S&P 500 rallied 2.8% on the week - erasing essentially all of its declines in the prior week.

REITs bounced back from a rough start to the year with a strong +3.26% average total return in March. Mid cap (+5.04%), small cap (+3.90%) and large cap REITs (+2.32%) averaged gains in March, while micro caps (-0.32%) saw yet another month in the red. 78.06% of REIT securities had a positive total return in March.

The article evaluates the iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF as an investment option at its current market price. IYR has posted a modest return compared to the broader market in the past five months and I don't see a compelling reason why that dynamic will change. The retail and office space sub-sectors within Real Estate look especially vulnerable to me going forward.

U.S. equity markets declined this week while benchmark interest rates jumped to the highest level since November after stronger-than-expected employment data showed robust hiring trends in early 2024. Stagflation has crept back into the economic discussion over the past several weeks amid a resurgence in oil prices alongside economic data showing stubbornly lukewarm inflationary trends. Following two straight weeks of gains which had lifted the benchmark to record-highs, the S&P 500 declined by 0.9% this week. Real estate equities were among the laggards this week.

What I Wish I Knew Before Buying REITs

REITs fell slightly deeper into the red in 2024 with a -0.81% total return in February. Mid cap (+1.46%) and large cap REITs (+1.04%) averaged gains in February outperforming small caps (-1.33%) and micro caps (-6.98%). Only 50.64% of REIT securities had a positive total return in February.

The Investment Committee give you their top picks for the second half.

Pacer Industrial Real Estate ETF (INDS) is a concentrated play on industrial REITs, focusing on warehouses and self-storage facilities.

How REITs have fared through high interest rate environment. Takeaways from REITs earnings season so far. When rate cuts do come, some REIT sectors may stand to benefit.