Real estate investment trusts and sector-related REIT ETFs have been stuck in a rut, but things could change as more traders are looking into the space.
Year-to-date, the Vanguard REIT ETF (NYSEArca: VNQ) fell 7.9%, iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate Index Fund (NYSEArca: IYR) dropped 6.3% and Schwab US REIT ETF (NYSEArca: SCHH) declined 6.8%.
Analysts argued that expectations of a moderate slowdown rather than a hard landing are drawing some investors back, albeit cautiously, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The tide is turning very slowly. It’s not going to be a sea change,” Jonathan Woloshin, head of Americas equities and real estate at UBS Global Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Office, told the WSJ.
Some REITs have experienced stable demand and healthy debt levels in a stable and growing economic environment with rising job growth.