For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.
"My favorite more speculative pick for 2008 is ING Global Real Estate (IGLAX)," says Peter Slatin, editor of the Forbes/Slatin Real Estate Report.
"Institutional and private money managers have been moving their real estate securities money into global -- i.e., non-U.S. real estate stocks.
"This is a difficult and dangerous game for individual investors without the wherewithal to look at conditions on the ground or talk to partners there, but there is a growing number of funds that have the human and capital resources and infrastructure to do the hard work.
"And it's paying off. Dutch banking giant ING's Global Real Estate fund has returned a very respectable 7.2% year-to-date which, against a U.S. REIT index that's in negative double digits, looks pretty great. Add in a 4% yield and an international market that is likely to continue its moderate growth, and it's a winner.
"But this is a long-term play: although the entry point is $1,000, the fund has a hefty front-end load of 5.75% -- with a five-year return of more than 25%."
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