Dividend Boost | Mortgage Apps Rise | October Surprise?

October 14, 2020 | Hoya Capital

Dividend Boost | Mortgage Apps Rise | October Surprise? Daily Recap Oct 14 Written By Daily Recap U.S. equity markets finished lower Wednesday amid a continued stalemate on the ever-elusive stimulus package while investors monitor an escalation of lockdown measures in Europe and a busy slate of earnings. Hanging onto 0.3% gains on the week thus far, the S&P 500 finished lower by 0.6% today while the Nasdaq 100 finished lower by 0.8%.

The Dow retreated 166 points. Pushing its weekly declines to 2.5%, the broad-based Equity REIT ETF (VNQ) finished lower by 1.3% with 17 of 18 property sectors in negative territory. Small-cap REIT Gladstone Land (LAND) modestly boosted its dividend. We've now tracked 31 equity REITs in our universe of 170 REITs to raise their dividend in 2020 compared to 65 equity REITs that have reduced or suspended their dividend. Housing's still hot: The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that mortgage applications to purchase a single-family home remained strong last week and are now higher by 24% from last year.

Real Estate Daily Recap U.S. equity markets finished lower Wednesday amid a continued stalemate on the ever-elusive fiscal stimulus package while investors monitor an escalation of lockdown measures in Europe and a busy slate of corporate earnings. Hanging onto 0.3% gains on the week thus far, the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) finished lower by 0.6% today while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 ( QQQ ) finished lower by 0.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DIA ) retreated by 166-points.

Pushing its weekly declines to 2.5%, the broad-based Equity REIT ETF ( VNQ ) finished lower by 1.3% with 17 of 18 property sectors in negative territory. The Mortgage REIT ETF ( REM ), meanwhile, declined by 0.2% today, erasing its gains on the week. Fiscal stimulus talks again appear to be stuck in neutral based on comments by House Speaker Pelosi in a now-viral interview with ...