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Showing posts from January, 2020

Netflix Original - Downsizing and its parallels with FIRE

If you have not watched the Netflix Original Downsizing starring Matt Damon, I would not recommend it unless you really have nothing better to do on a (very) slow weekend afternoon. SPOILER WARNING NO REALLY. MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. The story's premise starts off interesting enough. To address the global crisis of depleting resources and overpopulation, scientists have invented a technique to shrink a person down to about 3% of their original mass (or something like that). Companies start selling residency memberships in small communities for the shrunken people, touting sudden amplification of wealth (due to reduction of cost) as a major benefit.  In one scene, Neil Patrick Harris cameos as a salesman for one of these communities, wherein his "wife" buys herself a full set of diamond jewellery for $83. Matt Damon plays a struggling physiotherapist who did not manage to complete med school due to financial difficult

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust MNACT

MNACT's share price was pummelled after months of HK protests, which saw parts of Festival Walk (MNACT's largest rent generator) set on fire and vandalized.   Some quick notes: Festival walk contributed 62% of total Net Property Income for MNACT based on their 1H FY2019/20 results. Festival Walk has been closed since 13 Nov.  Festival Walk is slated to reopen 16 Jan 2020, prior to Lunar New Year.  Assuming rent collection will only resume after 16 Jan, the expected loss of rental income would be for about two months plus a bit.  The Manager will rely on external borrowings to  partially  top up FW's distributable income while waiting for insurance to pay out ( assuming there would be any ).  This top up is expected to be about 40% of the lost rental income.  Hence, it is inevitable that distributable income for 2H FY19/20 will drop.  Share price of MNACT has dropped from a peak of $1.44 (July 2019) to $1.12 (20 December 2019) representing a 22%