VPN - REITs In 2020: Good Bad And Ugly

• U.S. equity markets finished an unforgettable 2020 at record highs despite the unprecedented ongoing global pandemic, rallying back from a historic market sell-off that pushed financial markets to the absolute brink.
• Finishing the year with returns of 17.6%, the S&P 500 finished higher by 1.3% on the final week. Despite the reopening-rebound, Mid-Caps and Small-Caps lagged on the week and for 2020.
• For real estate equities, 2020 was a story of "essential vs. non-essential." Ending the year with returns of -5.5%, the Equity REIT ETF gained 1.3% on the final week.
• The "essential' property sectors - housing, technology, and logistics - led the way in 2020. For housing, robust levels of homebuying activity have clashed with record-low inventory levels to put substantial upward pressure on home values.
• Rising home values - along with WWII-levels of fiscal stimulus - have been largely responsible for the nearly 8% annual rise in total U.S. household net worth in 2020.

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