Do REITs help protect portfolios in a rising rate and high inflation environment?

A common theme across all our research feeds currently is the inflation protection qualities of specific asset classes. Or put another way, how will certain assets perform in a rising rate environment. Research on REITs is therefore getting lots of traffic. Perhaps because the evidence of their inflation protection qualities seem to be inconclusive - it depends who is providing the inputs (a REIT manager or a non-REIT manager). And the answer may be a function of the ability to raise rents for the underlying assets.

The answer depends on who you talk to.