REITs’ hold up despite market turmoil

• Global REITs are less leveraged today than during the 2008/09 crisis 

• High inflation and interest rates have dampened REITs' distribution yields, with Singapore and Canada suffering the most, experiencing FPI scores of <80 (out of 100) 

• In North America and Asia, Data Centers is the strongest performing REITs sector, enjoying returns of 19.4 percent in 1H23. Office and Industrial have performed the worst, due to high exposure to the stuttering real estate market.

Amid capital market uncertainty and mortgage market turbulence, real estate investment trusts (REITs) have proved remarkably resilient, maintaining sound operations, robust balance sheets, and successful equity and unsecured debt issuances. Prior to COVID-19, REITs benefited from regulatory efforts to strengthen their balance sheets  - notably by reducing leverage levels. However, the economic impact of the pandemic has prompted a reassessment of REITs' business strategies, leading to a reduction in debt, a more conservative approach to development, and an emphasis on higher credit quality in portfolio assets. 

REITs have also responded by lowering leverage and laddering debt maturities. Over the past decade, leverage has decreased significantly, thanks to prudent financial policies to enhance creditworthiness. Having peaked at 38 percent in the 2008 global financial crisis, the average REIT loan-to-value ratio now stands at around 33 percent.

Over the last six quarters, the foreign portfolio investment (FPI) index has returned above-par scores (>90 out of 100) for all geographies except Singapore and Canada. However, like real estate, REITs have faced macroeconomic headwinds  - particularly surging interest rates and inflation  - narrowing the yield gap with `risk-free' money market opportunities such as government bonds.

Source: SGX Research (October 2023)

REITs performance – by major REITs (August–October 2023)

Source: SGX Research (October 2023)

Singapore's potential  

At US$93 billion, Singapore has one of Asia's largest REITs markets, although its value has fallen by 7 percent month-on-month (M-o-M) since August 2023. Moreover, REITs represent 12 percent of the entire Singapore stock market (SGX) capitalization. There are 42 REITs listed on SGX, 90 percent of which hold overseas assets. As of October 2023, the average dividend yield of S-REITs stood at 7.7 percent, down from 8.7 percent in May, presenting an attractive return compared to the Straits Times Index (STI), government bonds and term deposits.

Sector high- and low-performers

Data Centers, Industrial, and Self-storage have been the strongest performing REITs categories in 2023. According to Nareit (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts) Data Centers lead with a YTD return of 19.5 percent, followed by Timber (11.2 percent), and Self-Storage (8.4 percent). Propping up the rankings are Office and Infrastructure, generating negative returns of 12.0 percent and 10.7 percent respectively, due primarily to a soft US real estate market. Nareit predictions indicate that Manufactured Homes and Industrial segments are likely to drive the market in the next 5 years, through growth in rent and occupancy.