Owns US real estate stocks, following the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index.
IYR, the iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF, is a $4.2 billion ETF whose main story is the refinancing cycle. It holds 4.3% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 6th of 64. Over the past year it returned +0.5%, against +16.8% for broad US ETFs. Figures to October 2, 2026; past performance, not a recommendation.
The narrative it carries
This is its only narrative.
The refinancing cycle →
Real estate, homebuilders and mortgage REITs: property bought with debt and priced against rates.
The band is where this narrative’s level sits among the 22 this week. QUIET means less talked about, not falling.
| # | ETF | SHARE | ASSETS | 1 YEAR | COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VNQ | 40.2% | $39.29bn | +2.0% | 0.13% |
| 2 | SCHH | 10.8% | $10.56bn | +5.5% | 0.07% |
| 3 | DFAR | 8.3% | $1.65bn | +5.3% | – |
| 4 | XLRE | 7.8% | $7.65bn | +0.8% | 0.08% |
| 5 | USRT | 4.4% | $4.31bn | +8.2% | 0.08% |
| 59 other ETFs | 28.5% |
Share is each ETF’s slice of the capital carrying this narrative. 1 year is market price total return; cost is the expense ratio. See all 64 ETFs on the narrative page →
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
| 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y* | 5Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IYR | −6.3% | −8.2% | +2.5% | +0.5% | +10.0% | +0.8% |
| The refinancing cycleits narrative | −5.8% | −8.3% | +4.2% | +2.1% | +10.8% | +1.7% |
| The marketbroad US ETFs | +0.8% | +2.6% | +14.6% | +16.8% | +22.9% | +12.9% |
1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: one month to five years. YTD: year to date. * A year, annualised. A dash means the ETF has not traded for the whole period. Since it started trading on June 19, 2000: +8.0% a year.
$10,000 invested October 31, 2016
Year by year
Total return in each calendar year; this year is year to date. A year appears only if IYR traded for all of it.
Total return on the market price, with each distribution reinvested on its ex-date. Not the NAV return the issuer publishes; the two differ when the ETF trades above or below the value of its holdings. The narrative is the asset-weighted return of the unlevered ETFs that carry it. The market is the asset-weighted return of broad US index ETFs. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
How closely it moves
IYR moves partly with the market. When the market has moved 1%, IYR has tended to move 0.58%.
IYR moves closely with the refinancing cycle. When the refinancing cycle has moved 1%, IYR has tended to move 1.01%.
Weekly returns over 157 weeks. The narrative is measured without IYR in it, so it is not compared with itself.
ETFs it moves most and least like
Correlation of weekly returns over the last 3 years, among unlevered ETFs StoryVector covers.
Where it sits in The refinancing cycle
Each dot is one of 45 unlevered ETFs whose main narrative is the refinancing cycle, placed by its return (up) and how much it swung (right) over the last year.
Risk
Cost against its peers
IYR is the 13th cheapest of 22 ETFs in the refinancing cycle. The dashed line is the middle of the group, 0.35% a year.
How it is built
An unlevered long ETF that owns its holdings directly. It counts toward Share of Narrative.
Narrative exposure
Common questions
What story is IYR selling?
IYR’s main story is the refinancing cycle, which covers real estate, homebuilders and mortgage REITs: property bought with debt and priced against rates.
Which ETFs compete with IYR?
The ETFs whose weekly returns move most like IYR’s over the past 3 years are VNQ (1.00), FREL (1.00) and XLRE (1.00).
How much of the refinancing cycle does IYR hold?
IYR holds 4.3% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 6th of 64.
How has IYR performed against its story?
Over the past year IYR returned +0.5%, the ETFs carrying the refinancing cycle +2.1% and broad US ETFs +16.8%, to October 2, 2026. Its weekly returns have a correlation of 1.00 with the story. Past performance only.
Run an ETF in the refinancing cycle? StoryVector shows issuers where their ETFs stand against the closest rivals, every week.
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