INVESTORS LOOKING TO escape from capricious market moves could re-look at REITs. As a sector, they’re now in a much stronger position than at the start of the year. “S-Reit sector gearing has declined to 31% with the $3.7 billion of capital raisings issued year to date,” notes a DBS Group Research report released earlier this week. “At this point, we believe any further capital raising exercises would be opportunistic or to fund new acquisitions given the current much lower cost of capital,” the report adds. Moreover, credit is flowing more readily and DBS reckons that Reits are in a better position to benefit from ‘acquisition as a growth driver’.