A study on the performance and risk diversification benefits of real estate investment trusts in Malaysia

An evaluation of M-REITs utilizing the Sharpe, Treynor and Jensen measures was conducted from 2007 to 2015 to investigate the risk diversification benefits of REITs. The results indicate that all selected M-REITs outperform the FBM Property Index. The beta values are less than one, implying that M-REITs are less risky than the market. Low R-squared values, however, suggest that M-REITs are poorly diversified showing the potential for diversification opportunities. A portfolio consisting few different M-REITs may result in better performance. The findings of this research can provide a clearer understanding of REITs performance to portfolio managers and investors