The performance of equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) is outpacing that of the hot stock market, according to industry data released early Monday. A survey of some major ETFs with a REIT focus, though, shows that some these financial products aren't keeping pace with the markets as consistently as their industry indexes—at least in the first few months of the year.
On a total return basis, the FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index gained 5.8% in April, while the FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITs Index ticked up 6.33%, according to the National Trade Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).
During the same 30-day period, the S&P 500 rose 1.93% and the Dow Jones 1.94%.
In the first four months of April, the FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index improved 15.44%, and the FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITs Index increased 14.94%. The S&P 500 was up 12.74% in the same period.
For the 12 months ending April 30, the FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index rose 22.20%, and the FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITs Index 21.28%. The S&P 500's gain was 16.89% for the year-long period.
A look at 12-month data as of May 13, however, shows that some key real estate ETFs are not always matching the NAREIT returns.
