An Analysis of Central Drivers of REIT Returns

Abstract

Many researchers have questioned whether real estate investment trusts (REITs) can act as a hedge for inflation or whether REITs can act as a safe haven for investors in the event of economic downturn. However, many studies lack basic data analysis or timely data to determine the dependence of REIT returns on various economic factors. The goal of this study is to act as a meta-analysis to synthesize the relationship between REITs and several potential risk factors. This study will extend beyond the timeline of previous studies, and will examine the relationship of several hypothesized risk factors. The results of this study can help brokers in their future decisions to hedge REIT risk in a portfolio. This study will use the historical returns from the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) as well as six indices. This study will also use both univariate regressions and multivariate regressions to analyze the relationship between REITs and mortgage REITs and each representative index