"When you look at global trends, ETFs are becoming one of the dominant investment products outside the U.S., " says Wendy Elwell, a principal at Barclays GlobalInvestors in San Francisco.
Back in 2009, Mike Burrichter, a principal of CBRE GlobalInvestors, was one of the few optimistic voices who said it still made sense to buy partially vacant buildings and add value by leasing them up.