Nareit’s Senior Vice President for Research Ed Pierzak and Nareit Vice President for Index Management and Industry Information John Barwick joined the REIT Report to highlight key themes and trends in Nareit’s 2026 REIT Outlook.

Pierzak discussed the dual divergences at play between REITs and broader equities and REITs and private real estate. Each provides an opportunity for REITs to outperform, he said. At the same time, REIT balance sheets point to access to capital, putting the sector in a “great position to really embark on a growth opportunity in 2026,” alongside signs of a thawing in the transaction market, Pierzak said.

Meanwhile, Barwick discussed global REIT performance, noting that currency movements were a significant tailwind for U.S.-based investors in 2025 as a weaker dollar bolstered the performance of international assets. For U.S. investors, strong local returns in developed Asia and developed Europe were further boosted when translated back into dollars, which widened the performance gap with North America, Barwick noted.

Read the 2026 REIT outlook: https://www.reit.com/news/blog/market-commentary/2026-reit-outlook-trends-and-strategies

REITs Positioned to Embark on Growth Journey in 2026