Bank of America has released its 2026 Specialty Asset Management Outlook, highlighting investment opportunities across commercial real estate (CRE), farmland, timberland and energy. As capital markets reopen and short‑term borrowing costs decline, the report reveals a more constructive investment environment for real assets investors in 2026 and beyond.
“In uncertain markets, real assets can serve as a powerful diversifier for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and institutions,” said Ken Shepard, head of specialty asset management at Bank of America. “Real assets’ historically low correlation to traditional assets and potential inflation‑hedging characteristics can dampen the effects of volatility over the long term while helping provide differentiated returns.”
After a significant interest-rate driven reset that began in 2022, CRE appears to be turning the corner, with values at or nearing an inflection point. Vacancies have largely peaked, new forward su
