For those investors who seek even more diversification, global real estate is another option via REIT ETFs. The U.S.accounts for only 30% of the global real estate market.
The SPDR Dow Jones International Real Estate (NYSEArca: RWX) and the iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed REIT ex-US (NYSEArca: IFGL) provide great returns and bigger yields than their domestic counterparts. Currently, both RWX and IFGL yield 6.2 % and 5.51 %. Plus, these ETFs benefit from currency fluctuations, and the weakening U.S. dollar actually enhances the performance of them. [Comparing Dividend Yield in REIT ETFs]
“According to industry group NAREIT, from 1990 to 2009, when the U.S. dollar was falling against the Japanese yen, average total returns for investors were 12.1% per year for investments in Asian REITs. However, 10.4 % of that return was from currency gains and just 1.7 % was from the REITs themselves,” Levitt wrote.
Tisha Guerrero contributed to this article