REITs Bolstered by Stimulus Measures, Functioning Capital Markets, & Broad Array of Financing Options

06/19/20 • 8 min

Gina Szymanski, portfolio manager and director at AEW Capital Management, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, joined the latest edition of the Nareit REIT Report podcast.
Szymanski discussed some of the differences between the current COVID-19 crisis and the global financial crisis. She pointed to the size and pace of fiscal and monetary stimulus as “the biggest difference by far.”
“During the last crisis the Fed was still learning how to be creative. This time around they are very aware of the playbook," Szymanski said.

Previous Episode

REITs in Push-Pull Situation Between Efforts to Reopen Economy and Progress on Health Front

In the latest edition of the REIT Report, Nareit Senior Economist Calvin Schnure said investors will be watching this week to see if economic indicators point to an uptrend similar to what was seen in the recently-released May unemployment report.
May retail sales numbers released this week will show whether or not spending has bottomed, Schnure said. The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, will report industrial production this week, while housing starts will also be released.
“Over the next several days, we’ll get a lot better idea of whether the whole economy is starting to turn towards recovery the way we saw in the job market,” Schnure said.

Next Episode

REITs Facing Mixed Picture as Economic Recovery Contends with COVID-19 Concerns

Nareit Senior Economist Calvin Schnure said REITs are facing a “mixed picture” as the forces of economic recovery are being tempered by uncertainty regarding the ongoing risks from COVID-19.
In the June 22 edition of the REIT Report, Schnure noted that the recent divergence between the course of the pandemic and the pace of economic activity strengthened over the past week. While REITs and the broader equity markets reacted positively to surprisingly strong May retail sales numbers, that optimism subsided later in the week on news of a surge in new COVID-19 cases and what that means for the prospects of economic reopening.