Search Results (3)

In this paper, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on different performance measures and the risk of US Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) with different styles. Our findings suggest a phenomenon with compelling evidence of reduced performance without any significant changes in risk profile amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, mortgage REITs (MREITs) appear to be more adversely affected compared to equity REITs (EREITs). We further explore and analyze the performance of specialized REITs in contrast to diversified REITs in the distinctive conditions presented by COVID-19. We find that diversification creates value for the entire sample period, whereas, during the COVID-19 pandemic, property type specialization helps, although the results are weakly significant. The findings on risk suggest investors’ short-run outlook on market reaction. These results remain robust to additional tests. The implications provide insight for investors as a reference to reallocate assets in their portfolios during uncertain times. Full article

Magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) permits high-spatial resolution electrical conductivity mapping of biological tissues, and its quantification accuracy hinges on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the current-induced magnetic flux density (B_z). The purpose of this work was to achieve B_z SNR-enhanced rapid conductivity imaging by developing an echo-shifted steady-state incoherent imaging-based MREIT technique. In the proposed pulse sequence, the free-induction-decay signal is shifted in time over multiple imaging slices, and as a result is exposed to a plurality of injecting current pulses before forming an echo. Thus, the proposed multi-slice echo-shifting strategy allows a high SNR for B_z for a given number of current injections. However, with increasing the time of echo formation, the B_z SNR will also be compromised by T₂*-related signal loss. Hence, numerical simulations were performed to evaluate the relationship between the echo-shifting and the B_z SNR, and subsequently to determine the optimal imaging parameters. Experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method over conventional spin-echo-based MREIT. Compared with the reference spin-echo MREIT, the proposed echo-shifting-based method improves the efficiency in both data acquisition and current injection while retaining the accuracy of conductivity quantification. The results suggest the feasibility of the proposed MREIT method as a practical means for conductivity mapping. Full article

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) provide portfolio diversification and tax benefits, a stable stream of income, and inflation hedging to investors. This study employs a quantile autoregression model to investigate the dependence structures of REITs’ returns across quantiles and return frequencies. This approach permits investigation of the marginal and aggregate effects of the sign and size of returns, business cycles, volatility, and REIT eras on the dependence structure of daily, weekly, and monthly REIT returns. The study documents asymmetric and misaligned dependence patterns. A bad market state is characterized by either positive or weakly negative dependence, while a good market state is generally marked by negative dependence on past returns. The results are consistent with under-reaction to good news in a bad state and overreaction to bad news in a good state. Past negative returns increase and decrease the predictability of REIT returns at lower and upper quantiles, respectively. Extreme positive returns in the lower (upper) quantiles dampen (amplify) autocorrelation of daily, weekly, and monthly REIT returns. The previous day’s REIT returns dampen autoregression more during recession periods than during non-recession periods. The marginal impact of the high volatility of daily returns supports a positive feedback trading strategy. The marginal impact of the Vintage REIT era on monthly return autocorrelation is higher than the New REIT era, suggesting that increased participation of retail and institutional investors improves market efficiency by reducing REITs’ returns predictability. Overall, the evidence supports the time-varying efficiency of the REITs markets and adaptive market hypothesis. The predictability of REIT returns is driven by the state of the market, sign, size, volatility, and frequency of returns. The results have implications for trading strategies, policies for the real estate securitization process, and investment decisions. Full article