State Street SPDR Dow Jones REIT ETF

RWR

Market cap $1.84B

The SPDR Dow Jones REIT ETF (NYSEARCA:RWR) offers a 3.4% dividend yield backed by more than 100 publicly traded REITs, but the real question is whether that income holds up across rate cycles.

GQRE costs nearly twice as much as RWR but offers a higher dividend yield and broader global exposure. RWR has delivered a stronger five-year total return with a smaller drawdown than GQRE.

After a solid January performance, the REIT sector recovery gained steam in February with a stronger +3.70% return. Large cap REITs (+5.80%) led the REIT sector in February with strong gains from mid caps (+5.26%) and small caps (+4.94%). Micro caps (-6.12%) badly underperformed again in February. 71.71% of REIT securities had a positive total return in February.

RWR charges nearly double the expense ratio of VNQ, but it's outperformed over the past five years. Both ETFs hold similar top REITs, though VNQ offers broader diversification with more holdings.

REET charges a lower expense ratio and has over twice the assets under management compared to RWR. Both funds deliver similar dividend yields and risk profiles, but REET offers broader global diversification.

HAUZ charges a lower expense ratio and offers a higher dividend yield than RWR. HAUZ delivered a stronger 1-year return but faced a deeper five-year drawdown and lower long-term growth.

RWR charges a lower expense ratio and has much larger assets under management (AUM) than RWX. RWX posted a higher one-year total return, but RWR experienced a smaller maximum drawdown over five years.

ICF holds fewer REITs and carries a higher expense ratio than RWR. RWR offers a higher dividend yield and slightly shallower five-year drawdowns.

The REIT sector rebounded from a rough 2025 (-3.57%) by starting off 2026 in the black (+1.09%). Small-cap REITs (+3.27%) outperformed in January, followed by solid gains from mid-caps (+2.65%) and large caps (+2.35%). Microcaps, however, had a dismal start to the year with. 63.46% of REIT securities had a positive total return in January.

The State Street SPDR Dow Jones REIT ETF enables you to invest broadly in the REIT sector. REITs are very sensitive to changes in interest rates.