The REIT sector has had a rough start to 2024 with back-to-back months of negative total return. Equity REITs averaged a -0.81% total return in February and again underperformed the broader market. The NASDAQ (+6.2%), S&P 500 (+5.3%) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (+2.5%) all saw strong gains in February. The market cap weighted Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) outpaced the average REIT in February (+1.98% vs. -0.81%) and has seen smaller losses year to date (-3.18% vs. -6.33%).