Real estate investment trusts start the week with a bang

Shares of real estate investment trusts kicked Monday off with sharp gains.
Real estate was the top performing sector in the S&P 500, rising 2.2% and propelled by a roughly 9.9% gain in $BXP Inc (BXP.US)$ . The stock was the top gainer in the broad-market index, followed by $Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (ARE.US)$ , which added nearly 5%.