VanEck Mortgage REIT Income ETF

MORT

Market cap $407M

VanEck Mortgage REIT Income ETF (NYSEARCA:MORT) declared a ~6% dividend hike on March 31, 2026, pushing its trailing yield to a level that catches the attention of income-oriented investors across the market.

Social Security pays retirees $2,000 a month on average, and private tuitions are even lower than that.

With the federal funds rate sitting at 3.75% and the 10-year Treasury yielding 4.13%, investors hunting for meaningful income have to venture well beyond government bonds.

The VanEck Mortgage REIT Income ETF has given up early 2026 gains as market pricing shifts toward fewer Fed rate cuts this year. I highlight key differences between money supply growth in the periods leading up to 2022 and 2026, making a rerun of 2022 somewhat unlikely even if war in Iran continues. MORT's recent dividend growth reflects benefits of 2024-2025 Fed rate cuts, with modest future dividend growth expected even if the Fed goes ahead with rate cuts.

Today's market environment is pushing investors to look beyond traditional fixed income for higher yield. VanEck's income-focused ETFs provide access across asset classes.

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Retiring on passive income from dividends is a great way to reduce sequence of returns risk. Many investors generate this income from a basket of high-yield CEFs and ETFs. However, this strategy comes with a lot of risks and shortcomings.

These two high-yield funds combine dependable income with exposure to some of the strongest long-term secular trends. They offer high yields that are backed by portfolios filled with high-quality companies. They also trade at very attractive valuations and provide strong dividend growth.

BDCs have typically dominated. Mortgage REITs are back and out for dividends. Or something like that. As BDCs plunged, mortgage REITs gained favor with high-yield investors, at least on a relative basis. Declining borrowing costs make investors more excited about the sector, but mortgage REITs prefer stability.

Mortgage REITs (mREITs) offer high dividend yields. That makes them very popular among individual investors. Even then, we stay far away from them. Here is why.