Good morning, a Union Oil-operated oil rig, called Platform A, was drilling a new well into the seafloor oil reservoir off the coast of California, when enormous back pressure caused gas and oil to erupt uncontrollably out of the earth.
This infamous blowout of January 29, 1969 spilled an estimated three million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, obliterating coastlines and uncountable marine creatures.
One year after that spill, on April 22, 1970, environmental activists, supporters, and political leaders gathered to raise concern for health and the environment.
This became the first Earth Day - marking a pivotal point in our remarkable collective journey to save our planet. 🤣🤣🤣
Nevertheless, happy earth day, friend. Remember not to print this email, like ever.
💡⛔
Must-Have Tech For Coworking Spaces
The co-working segment has made a robust comeback in India, but the surprising bit? Leading corporates and brands are coming on-board the shared economy as occupiers alongside SMEs, start-ups, and freelancers.
But, But, But...
Please note that it’s not enough to merely be a part of the co-working ecosystem today. Here’s a list of indispensable tech to keep things chugging along smoothly.
📶 Good Wi-Fi - Wi-Fi is your backbone. Secure connections, quick downloads, smooth conferencing and cloud connectivity are the need of the hour. Private networks are most welcome.
📽 Presentation Stuff - Co-working spaces should have on-site projectors, whiteboards, audio and other equipment for those killer presentations.
⏺ Recording Gear - It doesn’t hurt to have a recording set-up, complete with lighting, cameras, microphones, tripods and app support. We sense more training videos and podcasts in the pipeline.
👩💻 Suitable Furniture - It’s not enough to have a computer; you’ll need the right chair too. Oh yeah, and the perfect workstation too. Basically, a ton of ergonomic furniture, well-equipped meeting/conference areas and dedicated desks.
📠 Hardware Requirements - It’s still an office, so scanners, fax machines (seriously?), printers, telephones, paper shredders and photocopiers are par for the course (and we could do with available tech support, you know).
📎 P.S. Extra headphones and chargers please. You’ll probably need a few handy cables as well, because problems of length are the toughest to solve, FYI.
Weekend Conversation Starter
If you see someone interesting enough to start a conversation with this weekend, walk up and tell them that their eyes remind you of the Helix Nebula.
Just in case you're misunderstood, flick out your mobile phone and open this email. Instant bonding is assured or you can have your money back. 😁
And if you need to ride the cosmic thing further, tell them that every time they blink, there's a nebula created somewhere in the universe.
Physical Real Estate Vs. REITs: How They Stack Up As Investment Options
Often hailed as the mutual funds of real estate, REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) have taken alternative property to the masses.
Increasingly popular today, they are based on some differentiators:
🍕 Investment pooling from institutional/retail investors.
🍕 Investments in commercial assets for income generation.
🍕 Distribution of 90% taxable income to investors via interest/dividends.
🍕 80% of investments mandatory in income-generating assets.
Comparing REITs and physical realty
Risk Quotient - REITs have varied risks. Low occupancy, legal issues, fluctuating returns - get the picture? Physical real estate does have risks but still offers more stability.
Yields - REITs usually return 5-6%, which is more than 2-3% in residential housing, but less than 6-11% in many other categories. Consider retirement homes, rentals, co-working, co-living and office spaces. Direct ownership always brings higher capital gains.
In One Sip
Physical real estate any day. REITs can be an alternative investment platform at best.
You Don't Wanna Be A Landlord In Hong Kong Today
The retail end of the uber-costly Hong Kong market has run into rough weather, and disgruntled landlords are contemplating a class action suit against the guy who assures the silver lining thingy.
With rentals at their lowest in more than a decade, an upcoming law may make life miserable for suffering retail landlords.
What’s the problem?
😔 A proposed law may allow a 3-month moratorium on rental payments. Those renewing rentals won’t be eligible, giving them bargaining rights galore.
😔 Property owners are offering discounts of 30-50% to retain tenants.
😔 Developers/landlords face insurmountable struggles in getting rentals back to pre-pandemic figures.
😔 Retail rental incomes have fallen amidst strict COVID curbs that are already hurting the office and residential sectors.
😔 Vacancy rates climbed to 11% in March 2022, while rentals continue to plunge significantly.
What lies ahead?
The proposed bill may become a law on 27th April, and with unhappier developers/landlords exiting businesses, the nightmare could continue, fuelling the desire for that legal action.
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With India’s digital economy estimated to touch USD1 trillion by 2025 and GoI pushing for localising data storage, states are vying with each other to get big ticket investments in the fledgling data storage sector.
No wonder data centre centre real estate assets are the talk of D/W Street.
May the weekend bring us peace and harmony. Next week then. 💚
☕ The Crew@Ginger Chai