| Title |
An Empirical Study on the Risk Diversification Effect of REITs |
| Authors |
Cho, Kyu-Su ; Lee, Sang-Hyo ; Kim, Jae-Jun |
| DOI |
http://dx.doi.org/10.6106/KJCEM.2013.14.1.023 |
| Keywords |
REITs ; Risk diversification ; Mean-variance portfolio model |
| Abstract |
Following the U.S sub-prime mortgage crisis and a slump in properties market, the probability is rising that housing investment would not yield high profit as it used to do until early 2000s. For this reason, the nature of properties market is undergoing a change from a source of lucrative investment to a source of a relatively low but stable profit, such as profit-oriented real estate. This trend is likely to promote REITs market, which is a leading product for indirect investment. Until now, the REITs market has been growing slowly compared to a general housing market or financial markets. However, as the importance of risk management based on portfolio theories increases, stable profit generation of REITs can be effective in risk management. This study conducts an empirical analysis on how investment risks can be diversified by including REITs—a source of relatively stable profit in the equity market—in investment portfolio. The analysis results showed that, similar to food and beverage stocks of highly defensive nature, REITs has a relatively weak correlation with KOSPI that reflects the overall market performance. It also showed very low standard deviation in case of minimum variance portfolio. This suggests that including REITs in investment portfolio can be as effective as including food and beverage stocks for risk diversification. Due to uncertainties, investment always accompanies risks, and balancing potential profits and risks is essential. |