REIT Performance
August was a rough month for much of the stock market, but the REIT sector continued its strong 2019 performance with yet another positive monthly return (+0.62%). This brings the average equity REIT to an impressive return of 21.64% over the first eight months of 2019. The REIT sector outperformed the NASDAQ (-2.60%), S&P 500 (-1.81%), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (-1.72%) in August. The market cap weighted Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) achieved a much stronger total return than the average REIT in August (+3.75% vs. +0.62%), expanding its year-to-date