Market Analysis & Research

Nearly 2,500 people came together over the course of REITweek 2025 to discuss REITs and REIT-based real estate investments.

Actively managed generalist funds tend to be underweight in real estate and REITs.

The FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index rose 1.2% in May. REITs trailed the broader stock market for the month as the near-term risk of tariff disputes abated, perhaps temporarily.

Nareit’s annual update of the Global REIT Approach to Real Estate Investing study shows growth in REITs worldwide, with more than 1,000 traded REITs at the end of 2024 in 42 countries and regions.

Recent disputes over tariffs and trade policy introduced volatility to global real estate markets alongside broader stock markets.

Nareit analysis of data from Preqin, a financial research firm that tracks investments in alternative assets, indicates that the use of REITs by pension plans has increased in the last six years.

Tariff actions have introduced uncertainty into U.S. financial and economic markets.

In the past, when real estate professionals talked about towers, they typically referred to high-rise office or apartment buildings.

Nareit tracks quarterly investment holdings for the largest actively managed real estate investment funds focusing on REIT investment for insights into expert investor sentiment.

The FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Extended Index showed resilience in a tumultuous April, posting a total return of 1.3%. On a year-to-date basis, the index has returned 4.4%.

The FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index declined in a volatile April, bouncing back from a low of -11.9% on April 8 to end the month down 2.0%.

The game-on, game-off nature of tariff actions has introduced uncertainty into the U.S. financial and economic markets.