The 100 Days War Ignite Again! Trump Regretted Tearing Down Iranian Nuclear Deal Reached by Obama.

Here we go again. The Middle East is witnessing a direct, dangerous escalation as Iran and Israel trade heavy blows.  Iran is going amok once more and firing missiles and drones at everyone in the Middle East. Netanyahu is not happy with Iran firing missiles into its territory and counter attacked Iran again- the Israeli even targeted a vital petrochemical hub in Mahshahr. So much for the fragile ceasefire that Donald Trump is struggling to maintain. It is like a full circus in operation. The only difference between the circus and the US-Iran war is that many innocent civilians are being slaughtered in senseless bloodshed. 

1. From "Maximum Pressure" to a Worse Deal: The Donald Trump-Obama Irony

there is a profound, almost surreal irony in how the current administration has handled the Iranian nuclear issue.

• The Backstory: In 2018, Donald Trump famously pulled the US out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the landmark nuclear deal orchestrated by the Obama administration. Trump criticized it as "the worst deal ever," promising that his "maximum pressure" campaign of heavy economic sanctions would force Tehran to crawl back to the negotiating table for a much stricter, more comprehensive agreement.

• The Backfire: Fast forward through a devastating regional war that began with massive joint US-Israeli airstrikes (Operation Epic Fury), and the tactical reality looks vastly different. Instead of a weaker Iran, the US faced a completely shut-down Strait of Hormuz, a massive regional war, and an Iran that had already advanced its uranium enrichment far beyond 2015 levels.

• The Bitter Pill: In trying to negotiate a new peace treaty and nuclear framework through international mediators, the Trump administration has found itself cornered. Tehran has proven unyielding on zero-enrichment demands, and any potential new deal will likely have to concede to an Iran that holds significantly more geopolitical leverage, a massive missile arsenal, and an advanced nuclear threshold than it ever did under Obama's original pact. Trump wanted a historic victory; instead, he is left trying to patch up a fractured region while staring down a much tougher adversary. The decision to launch air strikes in Iran and kill its senior leaders is a total miscalculation by Trump thinking that Iran will be begging US for mercy. 

2. Solution to End the US Iran War

The Iranians do not trust US under Donald Trump. This guy is really the King of "Sheet- Stirring". The only way out of US's current misery is for Donald Trump to pretend to have a stroke and then resign as president to save his bruised ego.  Ok, I know that this is impossible and farfetched.....I am just imagining this in my dream. 

Parting Thoughts

The longer the Straits of Hormuz remains closed, the more severe will be our energy shortage crisis. The world is dangerously close to a recession with high energy price that is causing inflation to rear its ugly head. I don't think the US Fed under its new chairman, Kevin Warsh, will allow interest rates to be lowered further. Coupled with the current DRAM bubble already close to bursting (not just correction), the global economy is staring down at a massive implosion from AI play. Sadly, the SREITs holding in my investment portfolios remain in the doldrum and engulfed in perpetual crises that derail the recovery of this sector for close to 7 years.  

CapitaLand Ascendas REIT Bags a New Tuas Asset, But Is It Time to Steer Clear of Singapore Logistics?

Hi Folks, welcome back to Investment Income for Life! I want to do a quick post on my thoughts on the recently announced logistics facility by Capitaland Ascendas REIT ("CLAR"). I am somewhat not very pleased with the recent acquisition and I should elaborate further below. 

On June 4, 2026, CLAR announced that it is strengthening its presence in Singapore by acquiring 5 Tuas Avenue 5, a modern seven-storey ramp-up logistics property, for a purchase consideration of S$133.9 million from Hup Hin Transport Co Pte Ltd. The purchase price reflects a 1.5% discount to the independent market valuation of S$136.0 million, bringing the estimated total investment cost to S$136.5 million after factoring in the manager's acquisition fee and transaction expenses. The asset features high-quality modern industrial specifications, including direct ramp access for 40-foot container trucks up to the sixth floor, a clear floor-to-ceiling height of up to 13 meters, and a heavy floor loading capacity of up to 30 kN per square meter across its 50,160 square meters of gross floor area. 

Strategically located near the Tuas Mega Port, Jurong Port, and the Tuas Second Link, the property is currently 100% occupied by four tenants under a triple-net lease structure. It features a stable five-year weighted average lease expiry (WALE) with a built-in 2.0% annual rental escalation. Financed via a combination of debt and net proceeds from an April 2026 equity fund raising, the acquisition is slated for completion in the second half of 2026. On a pro forma basis, it is expected to be distribution per unit (DPU) accretive by approximately 0.2% (0.033 Singapore cents) while delivering an attractive first-year net property income (NPI) yield of 6.5% post-transaction costs.

The Skeptic's View: Why I'm Cautious on Singapore Logistics Assets

Despite the seemingly stable metrics of this specific acquisition, I remain highly cautious about increasing exposure to the Singapore logistics and warehousing sector in the current economic climate. Look at Mapletree Logistics Trust, its market price performance has been a great disaster for the past 2 years. 

This was a far cry from the COVID and post COVID initial years. From my own personal experience, warehouse rental rate then were hitting over S$2.00 per sqft and I remembered extremely stressed up over my warehouse lease renewal- It was a landlord's market then! Then suddenly, it is going for as low as S$1.60- S$1.90 per sqft at Joo Koon, Pioneer, Benoi, Penjuru etc. This is the listing price on Commercial Guru. If you bargain hard enough, one can easily shave off another 10 cents off per sqft to as low as S$1.50 per sqft. Some of the warehouse landlords may even be willing to throw in a migration package that includes the sponsor of the booking of trailers and hauliers to move your existing cargo to their warehouse if you decided to change warehouse.

Parting Thoughts

I am just wondering whether CLAR should focus entirely on acquisition of data centres or other industrial properties rather than logistics warehousing facility. So I do not really like this latest addition to the CLAR family. I can only say that the good thing is that this acquisition is small in scale and does help in diversification of its business risks. 

Ok, that's all from me for today. Have a great week ahead!

(Note: I am currently still holding on to all my CLAR units in my investment portfolios.)

The Myth About Singapore Civil Service Annual Variable Bonus Of Only 0-1.5mths Annually.

This post is just for fun. I had a very good laugh after reading through this article from Salary.Sg. The funny part is that it gave everyone the impression that those working in government sectors are only given very little annual variable bonus. In a way, I myself have been misled for decades regarding the very little variable bonus in the form of the Annual Variable Component ("AVC") announcement during mid-year and end of the year.  

1. Don't be Fooled By the 0mth to 1.5mths AVC.
This is the extracted paragraph on the annual remuneration package: "Civil servants in Singapore typically receive:
-A fixed 13th-month payment (AWS)
-Mid-year AVC
-Year-end AVC
-Occasionally, one-off special payments"

The AVC portion fluctuates depending on economic conditions and government recommendations.

Year	Mid-Year AVC	Year-End AVC	Total AVC (Excl. 13th Month)
2025	0.4 month	TBD	TBD
2024	0.45 month	1.05 months	1.50 months
2023	0.3 month	0.6 month	0.90 month
2022	0.35 month	1.1 months	1.45 months
2021	0.3 month	1 month	1.30 months
2020	0 month	0 month	0 month
2019	0.45 month	0.1 month	0.55 month
2018	0.5 month	1 month	1.50 months
2017	0.5 month	1 month	1.50 months
2016	0.45 month	0.5 month	0.95 month

The above is the historical AVC for civil servants which appears to be similar or very tiny relative to the private sector (depending on whether you are in banking sector or other sector such as logistics etc).

2. What is the Actual Cumulative Variable Bonus then?

Many folks in the commercial/private sector will be shocked by what I am going to assert next. The AVC is actually not the de-facto variable bonus that everyone thought it was. There is actually another "performance bonus" on top of the Civil Service bonus. For example in 2024, if the civil service bonus is 1.5months and the "performance bonus" given is 1 month, the total variable bonus awarded for 2024 is actually 2.5 months.

Additionally, "1 month performance bonus" in government agencies actually belongs to those below mediocre ratings staff. Most folks may be getting 2-3mths of performance bonus. So the total variable bonus for 2024 maybe 4 months for the average staff (including Civil Service Bonus).

Add in 13mth annual wage supplement and wow, this is extra 5 months supplement besides the usual basic pay. 

IRON rice bowls!

3. One Should Aspire to Work in Government Agencies- BE a Civil Servant.

My sincere thoughts would be to encourage young graduates to apply to the government sector amidst the AI revolution that is causing private sector companies, such as META and Standard Chartered, that have been retrenching many staff due to AI taking over basic coding and deployment of agentic AI. Having an iron rice bowl with numerous months of variable bonus seems to be the better option for one's career in particularly for those who have no entrepreneur flair.

The only jobs that I know of within my circle that beats government civil servants are those working in local banks and pharmaceutical sector with at least 5-6mths of variable bonus.

Parting Thoughts

So does anyone think I am just BS about the above? Am I hallucinating like AI? Strange that many years ago, my friends told me that the private sector pays a lot better than the government sector and to avoid being a civil servant. 

Bitcoin Market Realities: Buying the Dip.

Hi Folks, another new video posting on my Bitcoin investment for sharing. These days video editing made easy and intuitive with AI prompts. 

 

United Hampshire US REIT Amazing Q1 2026 Results and 9% Distribution Yield.

Video version of previous posting on United Hampshire US REIT review- Please click here.

Donald Trump To Restart Attacks on Iran- Winter Is Coming!

Hi folks, Winter is coming! If you thought that your week was chaotic, wait until you see what just dropped in the Persian Gulf over the few days. Donald Trump and his buddy Netanyahu will soon be re-attacking Iran. Looks like oil supply from Middle East will be cut off for a very long time as Iran will be continuing with their blockage of the Straits of Hormuz. With oil availability tight despite US, Canada, Venezula, Russia etc ramping up oil production for exports and China curbing their oil consumption, it has been reported that prices will remain high and even rocketed. 

The Immediate Threat: Geopolitical Shortage (Days to Weeks) is what happens if Trump acts on his threat of another strike.

The Hormuz Chokepoint is causing over 14 million barrels per day of oil production to be shut in or stranded due to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Because nearly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil transits this narrow channel, a renewed U.S. strike would likely cement this blockade through Q3 2026.

Global oil inventories are currently already being drawn down at a staggering, historic pace of roughly 4 million to 8.5 million barrels per day. Even with coordinated Emergency Stock Releases from the IEA, these storage reserves can only act as a buffer for a few months.  Refinery Starvation: Refineries outside the Middle East (particularly in Asia, which buys 75% of Gulf oil) are already slashing operations because they cannot source the specific types of crude they need. A renewed strike will immediately exacerbate the shortage of middle distillates like diesel and jet fuel, causing localized fuel rationing and skyrocketing pump prices well past $4.00 a gallon in the U.S. 

The Expected Shortage Timeline

So yes, we are already in a structural shortage covered by emergency reserves. If the ceasefire permanently collapses, those emergency buffers will rapidly deplete, threatening severe physical supply crunches for oil-importing nations very soon in another 2-3mths.Yes, this is how dire our current situation has become.

Parting Thoughts and REITs/Bonds Being Whacked Again

Sadly, my SREITs have been badly battered by the stock market this week due to the fear of inflation leading to extreme interest rate hikes that will inevitably affect their net profits. Bond funds also find their valuation being hammered from expectation of a higher interest rate environment. Haiz, nothing is safe it seems these days. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Trump is only bluffing about renewed attacks on Iran. The stubborn old man has brought much grief to the world economies.

United Hampshire US REIT Amazing Q1 2026 Results- Distribution Yield Now Around 9% Per Annum.

United Hampshire US REIT ("UHREIT") reported a strong 1Q 2026, with distributable income rising 10.0% year-on-year to US$6.9 million, driven by higher rents, active leasing and contributions from two newly acquired grocery-anchored properties. Gross revenue increased 8.7% to US$19.7 million, while net property income climbed 12.7% to US$13.2 million. Using FY2025 Distribution Per Unit (DPU) of 4.39 US cents and closing Unit Price (12 May 2026) of US$0.515 per unit, this represents a previous distribution Yield of 8.5%. Since Dover is acquired in 2nd half 2025, a high level normalisation should give about a at least 5% increase for DPU in 2026, that is around an incredulous 9% distribution yield! 

1. Recap of New Properties Driving Increase in Distribution.

UHREIT sold Albany Supermarket for US$23.8 million back in January 2025. Thereafter, it has reinvested those proceeds into higher-yielding investment properties along with debt to supplement the these acquisitions:

1(i) Dover Marketplace-Acquired on 1 August 2025.

Purchase price: US$16.4 million

Funding source: Fully funded by proceeds from the divestment of Albany Supermarket

1(ii) Wallingford Fair Shopping Center- Acquired on 22 January 2026.

Purchase price: US$21.4 million

Funding source: Partially funded by proceeds from the Albany Supermarket divestment, internal cash, and external borrowings.

2. Financial Highlights for Q1 2026

Portfolio fundamentals remained resilient. The grocery and necessity portfolio maintained 97.7% occupancy, weighted average lease expiry extended to 8.0 years, and tenant retention stayed high at 90%. Only 2.0% of leases are due for renewal in 2026, while self-storage occupancy improved to 89.2%.

The balance sheet remains stable, with aggregate leverage at 40.3%, a lower average borrowing cost of 4.91%, and no refinancing requirements until February 2028.

Final Add On

UHREIT Management remains positive on the outlook, citing resilient demand for grocery-anchored retail, limited new supply, and opportunities for further acquisitions and asset enhancements. The 9% distribution yield for 2026 and the high potential for capital appreciation made UHREIT an attractive investment. Personally, given the current good results (finally turn-around after declining financials for past few years), I would have invested additional funds into UHREIT if not for my current holdings which already made up 10% of my total portfolios which represented an extremely high concentration risk.