There was a time when investors Squirm at investing in US stocks, just like REITs now. – Investment Moats

Apparently REITs returns have been so shit that some investors think they have always been shit.

Well, here is a chart of REITs versus the Indexes which… recently you would acknowledge that have done well:

I added MSCI World, All Country World IMI, Emerging Markets, World Small Cap against S&P Global REIT, and S&P Asia Pacific REIT so that you can contrast the REIT and equity market performance.

From 1 Jan 2001 to August 2026 here are the annualized performance:

• MSCI World: 7.5% p.a. [545%]
• MSCI ACWI IMI: 7.7% p.a. [574%]
• MSCI Emerging Markets: 9.2% p.a. [851%]
• MSCI World Small Cap: 9.4% p.a. [893%]
• S&P Global REIT: 7.2% p.a. [497%]
• S&P Asia Pacific REIT: 7.6% p.a. [554%]

We been so far remove from good performance of REITs that people think they are some weak shit.

I bet that if you are recommending MSCI World for a long time, you would struggle because they been so shit compare to the REITs.

And now its the REIT’s turn to look shit.

So will there be a time when MSCI World looks shit? A lot of people think it is unlikely but its more of hoping than respecting actual base rates.

Here’s how the same indexes look from 2001 to 2015:

Imagine investing for 16 years and you see MSCI World do this and the REITs do that.

• MSCI World: 4% p.a.
• S&P Asia Pacific REIT: 10% p.a.

What would you invest in honestly?

REITs or MSCI World?

Most of you seeing this would invest in REITs.

And so now you see REITs go to shit. So maybe now if we play this game again, you would choose MSCI World.

Time for MSCI World to go to shit?

If you look at REIT returns and feel like squirming, remember that feeling. There will come a time when you will squirm at some parts or your entire portfolio.

If you don’t dare to recommend a portfolio with REITs in there to people, that’s okay. But remember that one day, you will also faced the same feeling for your portfolio if they go nowhere for 4-5 years.

Lastly, if you are interested in the rolling x-year returns of Global REITs, here’s a table showing the returns.

You would realize they could passed off as MSCI World’s returns:

Do Like Me on Facebook. I share some tidbits that are not on the blog post there often. You can also choose to subscribe to my content via the email below.

If you’re thinking of opening an Interactive Brokers account, my referral link is here.

As the new account holder, you’ll receive USD 1 in IBKR stock for every USD 100 you deposit, up to USD 1,000 in shares — so a USD 10,000 deposit gets you USD 100 in IBKR stock, and the bonus is capped at USD 1,000 for deposits of USD 100,000 or more. A few other things to know: the minimum deposit to qualify is USD 10,000, done within 30 days of opening, and the bonus shares are locked up for one year from the award date. The promotion is currently active, and using the link costs you nothing extra. On a separate note, if you haven’t already, it’s worth taking a look at how IBKR’s share price has performed over the past five years — the stock you receive as a bonus isn’t just a token; it’s a stake in a company that has done quite well for its shareholders.

I break down my resources according to these topics:

1. All my personal notes about how my philosophy behind my own money and how I manage it.
2. Building Your Wealth Foundation – If you know and apply these simple financial concepts, your long term wealth should be pretty well managed. Find out what they are
3. Active Investing – For active stock investors. My deeper thoughts from my stock investing experience
4. Learning about REITs – My Free “Course” on REIT Investing for Beginners and Seasoned Investors
5. Dividend Stock Tracker – Track all the common 4-10% yielding dividend stocks in SG
6. Free Stock Portfolio Tracking Google Sheets that many love
7. Retirement Planning, Financial Independence and Spending down money – My deep dive into how much you need to achieve these, and the different ways you can be financially free
8. Providend – Where I work and do research. Fee-Only Advisory. No Commissions. Financial Independence Advisers and Retirement Specialists. No charge for the first meeting to understand how it works

Kyith is the Owner and Sole Writer behind Investment Moats. Readers tune in to Investment Moats to learn and build stronger, firmer wealth foundations, how to have a Passive investment strategy, know more about investing in REITs and the nuts and bolts of Active Investing.

Readers also follow Kyith to learn how to plan well for Financial Security and Financial Independence.

Kyith worked as an IT operations engineer from 2004 to 2019. Currently, he works as a Senior Solutions Specialist in Fee-only Wealth Advisory Firm Providend. All opinions on Investment Moats are his own and does not represent the views of Providend.

You can view Kyith’s current portfolio here, which uses his Free Google Stock Portfolio Tracker.

His investment broker of choice is Interactive Brokers, which allows him to invest in securities from different exchanges all over the world, at very low commission rates, without custodian fees, near spot currency rates.

You can read more about Kyith here.