Real estate investment trusts

August 2020

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a type of investment vehicle that enables investors to gain exposure to commercial real estate via public markets.

This primer will define what a REIT is, explain the different REIT property types, discuss the characteristics of the REIT market, and review the historical risk and return profile of REITs. Our focus is on domestic listed public equity REITs, which are highly liquid financial instruments that provide exposures to different parts of the real estate market.