Among the largest underlying components of VNQ, in trading today Public Storage ( PSA) is up about 0.7%, and Prologis Incorporated ( PLD) is lower by about 0.2%.

FORBES: REITs Fall Behind During The Rally

The largest REIT ETF, Vanguard REIT ( VNQ) has outpaced the strong advance of the broad market over the past year, as seen in this stock chart.

FORBES: Connect

Shares of Vanguard's REIT ETF (VNQ), which invests in a wide range of real estate companies, gained 10% in the first quarter of 2010 and over 69% in the last year.

FORBES: Eight Signs Of A Real Estate Rebound