I must say, the weekends seem to get quicker and quicker, but we still enjoy them with Annabelle dancing and musical theatre classes and Jax with his football and this week the trampoline Park in Nakheel Mall with his friend Michael.
I had a friend whom I’ve known for 28 years come over with her mum and daughter and it was nice to meet up them and with my old friend Mario Volpi from Novvi properties who she will be working with. We enjoyed a dinner at Maine JBR, which was lovely.
I’ve created an Instagram account which has grown really nicely and I hope to launch my website “Toni Hughes Wealth” officially on Monday September 16th. This will enable my clients to logon to their own personal portal to see all of their investments.
I’m also excited to launch a brand-new venture called residency advanced in the coming weeks. So watch this space. www.residencyadvanced.com
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info@tonihugheswealth.com
Everybody in the UAE knows how busy it gets from September onwards. If you are in business – this is most likely a very busy period for you. I wanted to stress the importance on how working positively can influence your work environment, not just in the office but when you may meet clients or employers by posting this article below from SVN Capital’s official website.
Have you ever found yourself drowning in the whirlwind of modern life, wondering if there’s a magic formula to transform the chaos into something extraordinary? Well, the key might lie in embracing the power of positivity.
It may sound like a cliché at first but take a moment to consider: in today’s fast-paced world, positivity holds a significance that surpasses mere buzzwords; it’s the heartbeat of a work culture that doesn’t just survive but thrives.
Positivity isn’t just a sunshine-and-rainbows concept; it’s the powerhouse fuelling resilience and growth in the face of challenges. It’s the unwavering belief in our ability to conquer obstacles, learn from setbacks, and forge ahead with renewed determination. Imagine a workplace where every employee feels not just valued but inspired and empowered to take on any challenge that comes their way.
In this Spotlight article, we explore the transformative force of positivity. We’ll uncover its pivotal role in shaping vibrant work cultures and equip you with practical strategies to foster and maintain a positive mindset in your professional environment.
Understanding the Concept of Positivity
At its core, positivity is a mindset – a lens through which we interpret the world. It’s about seeing the glass as half full and concentrating on the positive aspects of every situation, even in the face of adversity. But it’s more than just putting on a happy face; it’s about fostering an environment of mutual respect, trust, and support.
Think of positivity as the secret sauce to emotional intelligence. It involves managing your emotions and comprehending and empathising with others. It’s a world where self-awareness, resilience, and efficient stress management are the standards. It also helps foster an environment where creativity and innovation flourish, and everyone is aligned towards a common goal.
The Role of a Positive Mindset in Work Culture
Your mindset holds incredible power in shaping the heartbeat of your workplace culture. A positive attitude becomes the catalyst for a work environment that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and limitless growth. Conversely, a negative mindset can cast a shadow, creating a toxic landscape of stress, conflict, and diminished morale.
Positivity also helps to empower individuals to confront challenges confidently, view setbacks as stepping stones to wisdom, and champion the formidable force of teamwork. This ripple effect extends to heightened morale and productivity, elevating job satisfaction and curbing the tide of employee turnover. To back this up further, Indeed found that 87% of people with a higher level of well-being at work were likelier to stay with their current employer for the next year.
Hannah Bradley, founder of Higher HR, believes a positive work environment and culture is a strategic imperative: “Positivity in the workplace needs to radiate from leaders to create a sense of security and excitement. Well-treated, heard, and respected employees will be engaged and focused. They will feel secure in the knowledge they are part of a team that is prepared to overcome any challenges and embrace the lessons. Fostering a culture where employees show up to work each day with a positive mindset not only drives business results but also enables employees to grow both professionally and personally.”
The Impact of Positivity on Productivity
Productivity thrives in a positive and optimistic work environment. A study by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that optimistic sales professionals outsell their pessimistic peers by 56%. Another survey showed that optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be more engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
The truth is that employees are more motivated and committed when they feel valued, respected, and supported. This leads to a willingness to take on challenges, contribute to organisational growth, and a decreased likelihood of stress or burnout.
Beyond its immediate impacts, positivity nurtures a culture of continual learning and development. It nudges employees to turn mistakes into lessons, actively seek feedback, and tirelessly strive for improvement. The result? Not only an uptick in individual productivity but also a profound contribution to the organisation’s overarching growth and achievements. According to Deloitte, a staggering 88% of employees believe a strong workplace culture is key to business success.
Dubai has long been a magnet for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs) seeking luxury, security, and unmatched lifestyle opportunities. As global economic landscapes shift, there’s a growing trend among European UHNWIs to relocate to Dubai’s prime real estate areas. The current trend driving this market? The surge in demand for luxury villa renovations in elite communities such as District One, Emirates Hills, Dubai Hills, Palm Jumeirah, and Jumeirah Bay.
The Surge in Renovation Demand: The data tells a compelling story. In Q3 2024, villa renovation inquiries in Dubai’s prime locations have surged by 50% compared to the same period in 2023 (Source: Dubai Land Department). This surge is not just a response to the desire for more opulent living spaces, but a reflection of a broader trend where UHNWIs are seeking properties that can be personalized to meet their specific lifestyle requirements.
Economic Indicators and Market Dynamics:
Appreciation Trends: Renovated luxury villas in Emirates Hills and Palm Jumeirah have shown an impressive 15% increase in value post-renovation. This outpaces the general market appreciation rate, which hovers around 7-10% per annum for high-end properties (Source: Knight Frank).Price Per Square Foot: The price per square foot in these prime locations has seen exponential growth, with Emirates Hills rising from AED 2,200/sqft in Q3 2017 to AED 4,350/sqft in Q2 2024. This nearly 100% increase underscores the area’s status as a top-tier investment (Source: Dubai Property Market Report 2024).Supply Constraints: The supply of ultra-luxury villas that meet the high standards expected by UHNWIs remains limited. Approximately 80% of HNWIs entering the Dubai market are opting for renovation-ready properties rather than new builds, further tightening the supply (Source: Savills).
Why Renovation is the Preferred Choice:
Customization and Exclusivity: UHNWIs demand homes that are not just luxurious, but uniquely tailored to their tastes. Renovation allows for bespoke design, where every detail can be customized to meet their exacting standards.Sustainability and Modernization: Older properties in these prime locations offer the structure, space, and location that are highly desirable. However, they often lack modern amenities, sustainable technologies, and the contemporary design aesthetics that today’s UHNWIs expect. Renovating these properties provides the perfect balance of location and modern luxury.Investment Returns: The capital appreciation potential for renovated properties is significant. Historical data shows that well-executed renovations in these prime areas can yield returns upwards of 20% within a few years, especially as the market for ultra-luxury homes continues to grow.
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Abu Dhabi to update rental index every quarter, senior Adrec official says
Emirate will also provide rental values of buildings as 1,800 residential units are set to enter the market until first quarter of next year, Rashed Al Omaira says
Abu Dhabi will be updating the rental index every quarter as well as provide rental values of individual buildings in the future as it aims to promote transparency and attract more investment in the real estate sector, according to a senior official at Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (Adrec).
Last month, Abu Dhabi launched the emirate’s first residential rental index, aimed at providing indicative rental values in different areas of the emirate.
The rental index, which is available online at the real estate centre’s website, highlights rental rates for apartments and villas in Abu Dhabi City, Al Dhafra and Al Ain.
“Today, the rental index gives you an accurate, precise rental average based on a sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi that’s based on transacted [Tawtheeq] contracts,” Rashed Al Omaira, acting director general of Adrec, told The National.
“Our next step in the rental index is basically zooming into specific residential buildings. So, we look at stand-alone building by building rather than sector by sector, giving more accurate readings into the rental index,” Mr Al Omaira said.
As part of the strategy, it aims to look at providing rental values in major landmark residential buildings in the capital. Adrec, however, did not reveal when it plans to launch the new initiative.
The centre was set up last year to regulate the real estate market in the emirate and promote the sector with new strategies.
“Our job is to make sure that it’s a transparent market where consumers and partners have access to information from the real estate sector, and we leave those prices to be dictated based on supply and demand,” Mr Al Omaira said.
Currently, as per Abu Dhabi law, a landlord cannot increase rent beyond 5 per cent when a contract is renewed with the tenant every year.
However, if there is a dispute between the landlord and tenant, residents can contact Adrec’s call centre or approach its office to resolve the issue.
Our doors are “wide open for the public to visit us and raise any inquiries that they have, plus also they can reach us by our digital channels”, Mr Al Omaira said.
Abu Dhabi property market
The UAE’s property market continues to rebound strongly from the coronavirus pandemic on the back of government initiatives such as residency permits for those who have retired and remote workers and growth in the non-oil economy.
In the second quarter, Abu Dhabi’s average apartment prices registered a year-on year increase of 6.2 per cent and average villa prices grew by 3.9 per cent, according to CBRE.
Average apartment prices reached Dh13,405 ($3,650) per square metre, and average villa prices Dh12,070 per square metre.
Oracle stock zooms on partnership with world’s biggest cloud firm AWS
Texas company announces a 7% jump in last quarter’s revenue, beating analysts’ expectations
Oracle’s stock surged almost 10 per cent in after-hours trading on Monday after the company announced a strategic partnership with the world’s biggest cloud computing company and its key competitor, Amazon Web Services, allowing customers to use several cloud platforms at once.
The partnership will allow Oracle customers to run database services on AWS infrastructure, simplifying data management and integration. It will also reduce data migration complexity, ensure low-latency connections and offer a unified support experience, the companies said.
Data-intensive industries such as finance, health care, manufacturing, telecoms and retail will have enhanced cloud agility and innovation while lowering their operational costs, they said.
After the announcement, Oracle’s stock surged 9.25 per cent to trade at $152.81 a share in after-market trading. Earlier it dropped 1.34 per cent to $139.89 at market close, giving the company a market value of $385.52 billion.
Oracle is about 34 per cent up since the start of the year, compared to the S&P 500′s 15 per cent surge.
“We are seeing huge demand from customers that want to use multiple clouds,” said Larry Ellison, Oracle’s chairman and chief technology officer.
“With Oracle cloud infrastructure deployed inside AWS data centres, we can provide customers with the best possible database and network performance,” said Mr Ellison, who stepped down as Oracle chief executive in 2014.
Texas-based Oracle has 162 cloud data centres in operation and under construction around the world. Its annual event CloudWorld began in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday.
AWS is a cloud subsidiary of Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company. It offers nearly 240 services – including computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence – across 34 regions.
The partnership has come as cloud companies around the world are experiencing growing demand for their offerings from companies using AI.
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USD
Attention was firmly on the US dollar last week as traders awaited results from the last sets of labour data prior to the Fed’s September 18th meeting. With a rate cut already fully priced in, it is the choice between 25 and 50 basis points of easing that has had the market on edge for much of the last month. In the end results were mixed, leaving the market undecided and therefore likely keeping the high levels of volatility live for another week. Analysts currently favour a 25-basis point reduction, with the chance predicted at around 70%. A cooling labour market and some marked drops in economic activity will remain a concern for the Fed as they attempt to pull off the ‘soft landing’ they so badly desire.
This week’s CPI data will be of interest to dollar traders, although its effects may be muted unless figures are wildly different from estimates. Any rumours on potential Fed action may also carry some weight.
GBP
The pound has operated under the radar for much of the last 2 weeks, with little data of note released and parliament on their summer break. While MPs have now returned, and domestic news has picked up, sterling has managed to hold onto most of the gains made since early August. Both GBP/USD and GBP/EUR have tested periodic highs recently, and this may continue, providing the BoE don’t surprise markets later this month.
Labour data from the UK in the forms of Average Earnings, Claimant Count and Unemployment Rate may steal some attention on Tuesday.
EUR
With the dollar dominating headlines you may have forgotten that the ECB meet this week to discuss monetary policy, with a rate cut very much in play. The euro has benefitted from the stability that the first rate cut gave in June, although the common currency remains vulnerable to large intraday swings, as do all G3 currency pairs. HCOB PMI data last week was mixed, and Retail Sales remained in negative territory, most likely forcing the ECB to consider a cut to stimulate the economy. EUR/USD has pulled back from the 14-month highs seen recently, but remains above 1.10, which is a level rarely seen in the last year.
Euro traders will be focused on Thursday’s ECB meeting, with the outcome likely to affect EUR pricing heavily. Should the ECB cut, the euro would likely weaken.
The Fidelity Weekly Market Review
Monday 9th September 2024
The American economy added 142,000 jobs in August. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2%, from 4.3% the previous month, suggesting that companies may be reducing job vacancies rather than firing workers. Average hourly earnings increased 0.4% on the month and were 3.8% higher than a year ago.
While the August numbers were close to expectations, the previous two months saw substantial downward revisions. The figure for July was cut by 25,000, while the number of jobs created in June fell to 118,000, 61,000 less than previously stated.
Even though the Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates at its next meeting, it was a difficult week for equity markets. The S&P 500 dropped 4.3%, its worst weekly performance since March 2023. The Nasdaq fell 5.8%, its biggest decline since 2022. Earlier in the week, Nvidia’s market capitalisation fell by $279 billion, the biggest-ever single day decline for a US company.
China retaliated against Canada’s introduction of 100% tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles by announcing an anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola (rapeseed). China also said it would refer Canada to the World Trade Organisation for its “discriminatory unilateral” action.
At the start of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, President Xi Jinping pledged funding of $50 billion over three years to support more infrastructure projects and create at least a million new jobs on the continent. Xi said ‘without our modernisation, there will be no global modernisation’, as he announced plans to eliminate tariffs on products from the world’s poorest countries, including 33 in Africa.
The euro zone’s annual inflation rate dropped to 2.2% in August, a three-year low. Michel Barnier – the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator – was named as France’s next prime minister. He faces a challenging task of stitching together a government after inconclusive legislative elections in July.
White-collar workers in London now spend 2.7 days a week in the office, up from 2.2 days in 2023, but still short of the 3.9 days recorded just before the pandemic. Only 40% of all staff show up on a Friday.
