11/13/2013 | by Sarah Borchersen-Keto

Participants in a REITWorld 2013 Capital Markets Update panel predicted that liquidity would continue to be available to REITs into 2014, but they noted that higher interest rates and tapering of Federal Reserve bond purchases will create lingering uncertainty for investors.

The past few years have seen an unprecedented level of access to capital for REITs, not only in terms of the actual amount but also the variety of products being offered, according to the panelists.

They also forecasted that the non-traded REIT sector is going to grow as new competitors try to access the market. Panelists remarked that the initial public offerings seen recently in the non-traded sector provide investors with interesting business concepts and pricing that makes sense.

The panel consisted of: Timothy Pire, managing director, Heitman Securities LLC; Mark Streeter, managing director, J.P. Morgan; Seth Weintrob, managing director, Morgan Stanley; and Raymond Williamson, managing director, Eastdil Secured, LLC. The panel was moderated by Barry Vinocur, editor of REIT Zone Publications, LLC.

View a webcast of the session. (Link will be live within 24 hours.)