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The S&P Dow Jones Indices are adding a new sector to the S&P 500 Index.  This new sector is the Real Estate sector.  Prior to this latest change there were ten different economic sectors in the S&P 500 Index:  Energy, Industrials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Healthcare, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Utilities, Basic Materials, and Financials.  The new sector, Real Estate, is being carved out of the financial sector.  The reason for the creation of the new real estate sector has to do with the popularity of this area over the past 15 years.  There are now about 240 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Exchange.  Investors clearly want a way to directly invest in real estate, rather than having to purchase the whole financial sector which, in addition to holding REITS, also holds securities like banks, insurance companies and investment management firms.  The popularity of real estate, especially in more recent years, has to do with the low interest rate environment that we are in.  People who used to depend solely on bonds to provide enough income are now having to reach to other areas like real estate to help maintain their income.  With the creation of the new real estate sector in the S&P 500 Index, investors now have a way to invest directly into this sector.