Real estate news you may have missed

New home sales are on fire

June was a really, really good month for new home builders. In fact, you’d have to reach back to 2007 to find a month with a similar sales rate, according to the Commerce Department.

That sales were up nearly 14% and this figure is nearly 7 percent more than last year (pre-chaos) is good news for the housing market.

Low mortgage rates acted as the bait, but the overwhelming urge of so many Americans to move out of the cities was a big attraction as well.

New home sales in the Northeast were booming, up 89.7% from May and 111.1% over May 2019.

Existing homes aren’t doing too bad either

The overall real estate market is on fire as well. In fact, the folks at Ellie Mae say that the “summer market is a scorcher!”

While refinance loan applications gobbled up 62% of the nation’s loan volume, purchase apps represented 32%.

However, that is a 26% increase in June over May.

The 2020 summer purchase market is “… not only atypical, but also quite remarkable,” they said.

The short-term rental business is in deep doo-doo

You won’t find me and most people I know, boarding an airliner anytime soon, let alone staying in a hotel or airbnb. Apparently, we’re not alone.

“This has taken a toll on the short-term rental business, as short-term renters and hosts are working through solutions in response to coronavirus-related cancellations,” according to Desiree Patno at RisMedia.com.

Can you imagine the busy airbnb owner going into the summer season having to offer a full refund to all those vacationers?

“It is resulting in a substantial revenue loss for businesses that depend on the funds from renting out their properties to pay their mortgage and make other necessary payments, or as a source of passive income,” Patno suggests.

Global Imbalances and the COVID-19 Crisis

The world entered the COVID-19 pandemic with persistent, pre-existing external imbalances. The crisis has caused a sharp reduction in trade and significant movements in exchange rates but limited reduction in global current account deficits and surpluses. The outlook remains highly uncertain as the risks of new waves of contagion, capital flow reversals, and a further decline in global trade still loom large on the horizon.

Our new External Sector Report shows that overall current account deficits and surpluses in 2019 were just below 3 percent of world GDP, slightly less than a year earlier. Our latest forecasts for 2020 imply only a further narrowing by some 0.3 percent of world GDP, a more modest decline than after the global financial crisis 10 years ago.The immediate policy priorities are to provide critical relief and promote economic recovery. Once the pandemic abates, reducing the world’s external imbalances will require collective reform efforts by both excess surplus and deficit countries. New trade barriers will not be effective in reducing imbalances.

Why imbalances matter

External deficits and surpluses are not necessarily a cause for concern. There are good reasons for countries to run them at certain points in time. But economies that borrow too much and too quickly from abroad, by running external deficits, may become vulnerable to sudden stops in capital flows. Countries also face risks from investing too much of their savings abroad given investment needs at home. The challenge lies in determining when imbalances are excessive or pose a risk. Our approach focuses on each country’s overall current account balance and not its bilateral trade balances with various trading partners, as the latter mainly reflect the international division of labor rather than macroeconomic factors.

We estimate that about 40 percent of global current account deficits and surpluses were excessive in 2019 and, as in recent years, concentrated in advanced economies. Larger-than-warranted current account balances were mostly in the euro area (driven by Germany and the Netherlands) with lower-than-warranted current account balances mainly existing among Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. China’s assessed external position remained, as in 2018, broadly in line with fundamentals and desirable policies, due to offsetting policy gaps and structural distortions.

Our report offers individual economy assessments of external imbalances and exchange rates for the 30 largest economies. Over time, these imbalances have accumulated, with the stocks of external assets and liabilities now at historic highs, potentially raising risks for both debtor and creditor countries. The persistence of global imbalances and mounting perceptions of an uneven playing field for trade has fueled protectionist sentiments, leading to a rise in trade tensions between the US and China. Overall, many countries had pre-existing vulnerabilities and remaining policy distortions heading into the crisis.

COVID-19: An intense external shock

With the world economy still grappling with the COVID-19 crisis, the external outlook is highly uncertain. Even though we forecast a slight narrowing of global imbalances in 2020, the situation varies around the world. Economies dependent on severely affected sectors, such as oil and tourism, or reliant on remittances, could see a fall in their current account balances exceeding 2 percent of GDP. Such intense external shocks may have lasting effects and require significant economic adjustments. At the global level, our forecasts imply a more limited narrowing in current account balances than after the global financial crisis a decade ago, which partly reflects the smaller, precrisis global imbalances this time than during the housing and asset price booms of the mid-2000s.

Early in the COVID-19 crisis, tighter external financing conditions triggered sudden capital outflows with sharp currency depreciations across numerous emerging market and developing economies. The exceptionally strong fiscal and monetary policy responses, especially in advanced economies, have promoted a recovery in global investor sentiment since then, with some unwind of the initial sharp currency movements. But many risks remain, including new waves of contagion, economic scarring, and renewed trade tensions.

Another bout of global financial stress could trigger more capital flow reversals, currency pressures, and further raise the risk of an external crisis for economies with preexisting vulnerabilities, such as large current account deficits, a high share of foreign currency debt, and limited international reserves, as highlighted in this year’s analytical chapter. A worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic could also dislocate global trade and supply chains, reduce investment, and hinder the global economic recovery.

Providing relief and rebalancing the world economy

Policy efforts in the near term should continue to focus on providing lifelines and promoting economic recovery. Countries with flexible exchange rates would benefit from continuing to allow them to adjust in response to external conditions, where feasible. Foreign exchange intervention, where needed and where reserves are adequate, could help alleviate disorderly market conditions. For economies facing disruptive balance of payments pressures and without access to private external financing, official financing and swap lines can help provide economic relief and preserve critical health care spending.

Tariff and nontariff barriers to trade should be avoided, especially on medical equipment and supplies, and recent new restrictions on trade rolled back. Using tariffs to target bilateral trade balances is costly for trade and growth, and tends to trigger offsetting currency movements. Tariffs are also generally ineffective for reducing excess external imbalances and currency misalignments, which requires addressing underlying macroeconomic and structural distortions. Modernizing the multilateral rules-based trading system and strengthening rules on subsidies and technology transfer is warranted, including by expanding the rule book on services and e-commerce and ensuring a well-functioning WTO dispute settlement system.

Over the medium term, reducing excess imbalances in the global economy will require joint efforts on the part of both excess surplus and excess deficit countries. Economic and policy distortions that predated the COVID-19 crisis might persist or worsen, suggesting the need for reforms tailored to country-specific circumstances.

In economies where excess current account deficits before the crisis reflected larger-than-desirable fiscal deficits (as in the United States) and where such imbalances persist, fiscal consolidation over the medium term would promote debt sustainability, reduce the excess current account gap, and facilitate raising international reserves where needed (as in Argentina). Countries with export competitiveness challenges would benefit from productivity-raising reforms.

In economies where excess current account surpluses that existed before the crisis persist, prioritizing reforms that encourage investment and discourage excessive private saving are warranted. In economies with remaining fiscal space, a growth-oriented fiscal policy would strengthen economic resilience and narrow the excess current account surplus. In some cases, reforms to discourage excessive precautionary saving may also be warranted (as in Thailand and Malaysia) including by expanding the social safety net.

How Does A Bank Work?

The Basics of Banking

Recently, I received a lengthy email from a reader who had a ton of basic personal finance questions contained within. I thought it might be interesting to start an irregular “personal finance 101” series to answer and explain some of her questions.

Many people see banks as being a place where you save your money or where you get a checking account or where you can get loans, but they often don’t understand the big picture of how a bank functions. Let’s walk through it in baby steps so that you can understand why a bank exists.

Remember a bank is a business like any other business: it strives to make as much money as possible. They make money by simply moving money around; keep that in mind as we move through the services that a bank provides.

Saving Account

The first service that most people become familiar with in terms of a bank is a savings account. At first glance, a savings account is a situation in which you give a bank your money for a period of time, withdraw it whenever you like, and it earns a small amount of money for the time you leave it there. What actually happens, though, is that a savings account is actually a loan, except this time you’re the lender. It’s no different than any other loan, except it’s really flexible: you can lend as much as you want to the bank and get that loan paid back whenever you’d like. Because of this flexibility, though, the interest you make on this loan is pretty low.

Checking Account

A checking account, at most banks, is no different than a savings account: you’re lending the bank your money, but with a checking account, they pay your interest with services (dealing with the checks you write, etc.) instead of interest.

The other major aspect that people think of when they consider a bank is loans: they lend money to people for automobiles, cars, and other things.

How do banks make money?

For starters, they take the money you loan them and earn a pretty strong return with it, then give you a part of that return in the form of interest. So, each dollar you put into your account with the bank makes them a little bit of money.

Let’s say, for example, that the bank has a savings account with a 1.5% rate of return, which is likely better than the bank in your neighborhood. They take the money from your account (and a lot of other savings accounts) and use all of that money to buy (for example) a treasury note, which is guaranteed by the federal government and returns about 5%.

Even better, let’s say that someone else comes into the bank and wants to borrow some money for a car. The bank offers to lend them the money for the car at 7% return, so they take that money from the accounts at the bank and give it to the borrower. Then, the borrower pays back that money plus the interest, of which they pass on 1.5% to you, keeping 5.5% for themselves.

So, hypothetically, let’s say a bank opens for business and two people open savings accounts at 1.5% with $10,000 each. Then, Judy comes in and wants to borrow $20,000 for a car loan for one year, so the bank uses the $20,000 the people have deposited. At the end of the year, Judy will pay back the $20,000 plus 7% ($1,400). Then, each of the savings account holders come in and clean out their accounts. Each one takes out $10,000 plus 1.5% ($150) for a total of $20,300. The bank thus keeps the remaining $1,100. If that happens, say, 100 times in a year (200 savings accounts, 100 car borrowers), the bank makes $110,000 a year. When you start figuring in long term things like home loans, and also when people buy things like certificates of deposit, it becomes clear that a bank can bring in a lot of money each year.

On top of that, banks today make a lot of money from fees. You get pinged when you use the wrong ATM, when you overdraft a check, and so on. Each of these activities only costs the bank a few cents to handle, but it costs you a few dollars (at least).

To summarize, a bank works by paying people small amounts to lend them money, then lending that money onto others for larger amounts. They manage that whole process, and then keep the difference between the large amount (interest on loans) and small amount (interest from a savings account).

What kind of fluids should a baby or toddler with a cold have?

Extra fluids can thin mucus so their nose won't be as stuffy and they'll cough up all that gunk more easily. Most drinks, like water, juice, and milk, are fine. Warm liquids like chicken soup or apple juice can soothe a sore throat. Be sure they’re warm, not hot, to avoid burns. Babies under 6 months should only drink breast milk or formula, not water or juice. But you may offer more milk than usual for coughs or colds.

ABOUT INDIAN ECONOMY GROWTH RATE & STATISTICS

Introduction

India has emerged as the fastest growing major economy in the world and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers of the world over the next 10-15 years, backed by its strong democracy and partnerships.

Market size

India’s nominal GDP growth rate is estimated at 12 per cent in 2019-20. The estimate for 2018-19 was 11.5 per cent. During Q2 of 2019-20, GDP (at constant 2011-12 prices), GDP stood at Rs 33.16 lakh crore (US$ 474.46 billion) showing a growth rate of 4.3 percent over the corresponding quarter of previous year.

India has retained its position as the third largest startup base in the world with over 8,900-9,300 startups, with about 1,300 new start-ups being founded in 2019, according to a report by NASSCOM. India also witnessed the addition of 7 unicorns in 2019 till August, taking the total tally up to 24.

India's labour force is expected to touch 160-170 million by 2020, based on rate of population growth, increased labour force participation, and higher education enrolment, among other factors, according to a study by ASSOCHAM and Thought Arbitrage Research Institute.

India's foreign exchange reserves were Rs 33.98 lakh crore (US$ 476.09 billion) in the week up to February 14, 2020, according to data from the RBI.

Recent Developments 

With the improvement in the economic scenario, there have been various investments in various sectors of the economy. The M&A activity in India increased 53.3 per cent to US$ 77.6 billion in 2017 while private equity (PE) deals reached US$ 24.4 billion. Some of the important recent developments in Indian economy are as follows:

• Exports from India increased 2.13 per cent year-on-year to US$ 491.64 billion in April 2019-February 2020.
• Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 54.5 in February 2020, showing expansion in the sector.
• Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity in the country has reached US$ 48 billion during Jan-Sept 2019.
• The gross tax revenue stood at Rs 15.04 lakh crore (US$ 215.28 billion) out of which Income tax collection contributed Rs 3.52 lakh crore (US$ 50.43 billion) between April 2019-January 2020.
• Companies in India have raised around US$ 114.1 billion through 768 Initial Public Offers (IPO) first nine months of 2019.
• India's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows reached US$ 456.79 billion during April 2000 to December 2019, with maximum contribution from services, computer software and hardware, telecommunications, construction, trading and automobiles.
• India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for the month of January 2020 stood at 137.1. The cumulative growth for the period April 2019-January 2020 over the corresponding period of the previous year stood at 0.5 per cent.
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Combined inflation was 4.5 per cent in April 2019-January 2020 as compared to 3.6 per cent in April 2018-January 2019.
• Around 12 million jobs in a year were created in India during 2015-19.
• India improved its ranking in the World Bank's Doing Business Report by 14 spots over last year and is ranked 63rd among 190 countries in 2020 edition of the report.
• India is expected to have 100,000 startups by 2025, which will create employment for 3.25 million people and US$ 500 billion in value, as per Mr T V Mohan Das Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education.
• The World Bank has stated that private investments in India is expected to grow by 8.8 per cent in FY 2018-19 to overtake private consumption growth of 7.4 per cent, and thereby drive the growth in India's gross domestic product (GDP) in FY 2018-19.
• India is expected to retain its position as the world’s leading recipient of remittances in 2018, with total remittances touching US$ 80 billion, according to World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief.

Government Initiatives

The first Union Budget of the third decade of 21st century was presented by the Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Ms Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on February 1, 2020. The budget aimed at energising the Indian economy through a combination of short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures.

Total expenditure for 2020-21 is budgeted at Rs 37.14 lakh crore (US$ 531.53 billion), an increase of 13 per cent from 2019-20 (revised budget estimates).

Numerous foreign companies are setting up their facilities in India on account of various government initiatives like Make in India and Digital India. Mr Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has launched the Make in India initiative with an aim to boost the manufacturing sector of Indian economy, to increase the purchasing power of an average Indian consumer, which would further boost demand, and hence spur development, in addition to benefiting investors. The Government of India, under the Make in India initiative, is trying to give boost to the contribution made by the manufacturing sector and aims to take it up to 25 per cent of the GDP from the current 17 per cent. Besides, the Government has also come up with Digital India initiative, which focuses on three core components: creation of digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and to increase the digital literacy.

Some of the recent initiatives and developments undertaken by the government are listed below:

• India is expected to attract investment of around US$ 100 billion in developing the oil and gas infrastructure over the next five years.
• With the help of the new agriculture export policy, the agri exports from India is likely to reach the export target of US$ 60 billion by the year 2022.
• In India, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, launched the Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) program in NITI Aayog which aims at spurring community Innovation in underserved and unserved areas of the country.
• National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released a strategic document titled 'Strategy for New India @75' to help India become a US$ 4 trillion economy by FY23.
• The Government of India is going to increase public health spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025.
• For implementation of Agriculture Export Policy, government has approved an outlay Rs 206.8 crore (US$ 29.59 million) for 2019, aimed at doubling farmers income by 2022.
• Government is planning to launch Bharatcraft portal, an e-commerce marketing platform to market and sell the products.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), government has sanctioned more than 96.50 Lakh houses under PMAY(U) and approved 606 proposals for the construction of 3,31,075 houses with an overall investment of Rs 15,125 crore (US$ 2.16 billion).
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved to increase the authorized capital of Food Corporation of India (FCI) from existing Rs 3,500 crore (US$ 500.79 million) to Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.43 billion).
• India has registered a 26.9 per cent reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) since 2013: Sample Registration System Bulletin-2016.
• Around 26.02 million households have been electrified as on 31st March 2019 under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA). 
• Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) will be continued with an outlay of Rs 5,500 crore (US$ 755.36 million) for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20, according to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
• As per the Union Budget 2019-20, public sector banks (PSBs) will be provided with a capital infusion of Rs 70,000 crore (US$ 10.02 billion), allowing NBFCs to raise foreign debt.
• The mid-term review of India's Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 has been released by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, under which annual incentives for labour intensive MSME sectors have been increased by 2 per cent.
• Under the scheme Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-III), government plans to spend Rs 50,250 crore (US$ 7.19 billion) to build roads to boost rural connectivity.

Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog

Avocados

Avocados make their own fungicide, called persin. Pretty cool, huh? But dogs are allergic to it (and some humans, too), so don't let your dog near that guacamole. Persin is found in the seeds, leaves, and bark of avocado trees, too, so if you have an avocado tree in your yard, keep your dog away.

Alcohol

While it might be funny to watch a dog lapping up some beer (YouTube will attest to this), alcohol will make a pet intoxicated much quicker than it will have an effect on a human. Too much alcohol can quickly lead to alcohol poisoning and even death.

Coffee

The caffeine found in coffee is a stimulant: that's why so many of us need that cup to get going in the morning. But to a dog, such a stimulant can result in heart palpitations and muscle tremors. Letting your dog lick the foam off your cappuccino is not only unsanitary, but harmful to his health.

Milk

While we're on the topic of cappuccino foam, it's worth mentioning that milk isn't good for your dog either. Humans have an enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk, but dogs don't have very much of this enzyme. Ingesting milk can result in intestinal upset and even diarrhea. Water should be the only beverage your pup drinks.

Chocolate

Many of us have heard not to let dogs eat chocolate, but why? Chocolate contains a caffeine-like substance called theobromine, which wreaks havoc on a dog's nervous system. It can result in vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, tremors, seizures, and even death. Don't panic, though: a ten-pound dog would have to eat an entire chocolate bar to be in any serious danger. Stay on the safe side and hide the chocolate in the refrigerator where your dog can't get to it.

Persimmons

This flavorful fruit is not as popular in the US as it is in Asia, but certain varieties are native to the Midwest and the Asian varieties grow well in California. There is a chemical found in persimmons that can react with stomach acid and create a gluey mass that can obstruct the intestines. It's a rare occurrence, but it's best to keep your dog away from persimmons regardless.

Chives, Garlic, and Onions

Chives, garlic, and onions are in the allium genus of plants, and another thing they all have in common is that they can irritate your dog's digestive system. Consumption of mass quantities can also deplete your dog's red blood cells, leading to anemia. Don't let your dog ingest these foods. It wouldn't help his doggy breath anyway!

Peaches, Plums, and Apricots

The pits in these stone fruits can obstruct your dog's bowels. They also contain small amounts of cyanide, which is poisonous to dogs (and humans).

Macadamia Nuts

It only takes a small amount of macadamia nuts to make your dog sick. Watch for signs of weakness or depression. More severe cases of macadamia poisoning can result in hypothermia and tremors. Symptoms may not appear for up to twelve hours. Keep your dog away from cookies and candy that may contain macadamia nuts.

Gum

Gum is another substance that can result in a bowel obstruction, should your dog swallow it. But something you may not know about is Xylitol, a sweetener sometimes found in gum or candy, that is extremely toxic to dogs. If your dog consumes Xylitol his liver could fail—something you certainly don't want to risk.

Sugar

Even if the candy you feed your dog doesn't contain chocolate, macadamia nuts, or Xylitol, sugar itself is no good for your dog. It can contribute to obesity and diabetes (which is, of course, why humans should avoid it as well).

Grapes and Raisins

Scientists and veterinarians don't quite know why, but grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs. Even a small amount can be dangerous, so use caution if your kids like to eat grapes or raisins as a snack. If your dog is affected, hyperactivity or repeated vomiting are usually the preliminary signs, and can then turn into lethargy and depression within a day or so. Take your dog to the vet immediately if he exhibits these symptoms after eating grapes or raisins, or if there's a chance he's eaten some.

Raw Eggs

An enzyme present in raw eggs interferes with the absorption of a particular vitamin in dogs, which can cause skin or coat problems down the road. Raw foods also pose a risk of salmonella, as they do in humans.

Salt

A potato chip or two isn't likely to cause any harm, but consumption of mass quantities of salt can lead to dehydration, high temperature, depression, tremors, vomiting, and even death in dogs. Bottom line: hide that salt shaker where your dog can't find it.

Bones

Dogs and bones go hand in hand, right? Not quite. For the domestic pet inexperienced in hunting and eating wild animals, bones are more of a hazard than a way of life. Bone splinters can get lodged in your dog's throat or even puncture his digestive tract. Better stick to toy bones or bone-shaped treats instead.

Creativity in Entrepreneurship

Creation of innovative ideas: The entire procedure of entrepreneurship rotated around the creation and exploration of some innovative ideas. When an entrepreneur gets innovative that is efficient and in favour of the business, then they can stay ahead o the curve and beat the competition in a very proper manner. It is a kind of learning skill that is possessed by some individuals to explore some inventive ideas and thoughts that can create a huge difference and help the business to stay always in the hit list.

Novel ways to develop and improve the products: Creativity is all the way associated with making changes in the products or services in such a way that it creates something different. Chances of improvement in any product are high but it just needs some sort of creative thinking to know what is missing in the products. This thing can only be assessed by a creative entrepreneur.

Thinking out of the world: The intention and imagination of producing something different with unique ideas are called Creativity. Imagination is always must to cross the boundaries between the normal and unique and come up with something that can help you think outside of the box. The creative entrepreneur always thinks out of the world and replaces the traditional solutions with inventive ones. Creativity meant to be creates something new, interesting and versatile to get some potential.

Searching the same patters but the areas are different: Somehow, due to monotonous routine and surroundings, we always go with the same procedures all the time. A connection between the dissimilar and unrelated subjects allows creativity to happen and make some successful ideas for entrepreneurship. The creation of new niches comes by merging the different ideas and fields which may give something innovative and interesting intersection. There is no fear of bringing the various disciplines together but some may have however interesting ideas comes by mixing the different fields.

Growth of new niches with creativity and entrepreneurship: It is vital to explore the new aspects of conventional business in the entrepreneurship. It can be done in various ways such as by changing the manufacturing techniques, mode of delivery or make some changes in the service or product. All these changes create a big difference in business strategies and give birth to a new niche.

Startup success is not enough: Sometimes, the entrepreneurs get some initial ideas that establish a creative image of the entrepreneur in the eyes of the people and they think that it is not required to be creative again in the future. But this is not at all enough to succeed in the avenue of business as creativity keeps a business to remain ahead of the curve.

Low-investment business ideas you can start on the side

Partner with a dropshipper

Buy stock, store it, pick it, pack it, ship it. Managing inventory can be a big commitment when you’re running a business.

Dropshipping is a fulfillment model where a third party supplier stores and ships inventory to customers on your behalf. You just need to make the sales and pass orders on to your supplier; you don’t need to handle the products yourself.

You can curate products from one or more suppliers into your own online store under a theme that focuses on a specific niche, like gear for yoga enthusiasts or water bowls for dog owners. When a customer buys a product from you, the order is sent to your supplier who fulfills it on your behalf. However, you are still responsible for your own marketing and customer service.

There are both local and overseas suppliers you can work with, as long as you can establish a relationship with them built on trust—an unreliable supplier will reflect poorly on your brand.

Dropshipping is a low-investment way to test product-market fit and launch a business before you invest in your own original products. Just be sure to always order a sample for yourself to make sure that your supplier is reliable and that the quality of the products is fit for selling to your customers.

Design and sell print-on-demand t-shirts

Another dropshipping model, print-on-demand puts inventory, shipping, and fulfillment in the hands of a third-party supplier. But unlike the dropshipping idea above, the focus here is on customizing these products with your own designs to create something original.

T-shirts, hats, phone cases, hoodies, skirts, tote bags, and more become canvases for your creativity. You can think up witty slogans for developers or references that resonate with cat owners—if there’s passion and pride within a community, there’s a potential t-shirt business you can start.

Even if you’re not a designer, you can find a designer to work with using freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribble, or 99Designs.

With many print-on-demand services, you’re paying per-product, so the base price per unit will be more expensive than if you were to order in bulk. But the advantage is that if a certain t-shirt design doesn’t sell, you haven’t actually paid for the item yet (only the design if you outsourced it).

You can even use t-shirt mockup templates so you don’t actually need to spend money on a full photoshoot for every new design.

There are a variety of print-on-demand platforms you can work with, many of which can be integrated with your Shopify store for seamless order fulfillment. However, be sure to always order a sample of your product (often offered at a discount) to make sure your custom products look good.

FIIS FLOCK IN THE MARKET AS INDIAN STOCKS BECOME ATTRACTIVE

As Indian economy has gradually started to function again after three months of extended lockdown; foreign institutional investors are also back in the economy; bringing back 40 percent investment what they had withdrawn during the lockdown.

FIIs returning to India is a good news. It shows the faith investors have in the economy and will help India move quickly in the path of normalcy after three months of lockdown. In March and April, FIIs were on a selling spree as investors were trying to secure their investment when India’s economy came to a standstill. A total of Rs 62,700‬ crore was withdrawn by the foreign investors from the equity market during these two months. 

The situation was same worldwide, and India was no exception. As COVID-19 cases were on the rise in most countries, foreign institutional investors were aggressively selling across all the markets, especially in emerging markets amid fear. Countries like South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan have also experienced a steady outflow of funds as FIIs exited the market. However, it seems like the trend is reversing. Since April, India received more FII inflow than the other countries mentioned. 

Investors are floking bac to global investment arenas, and FIIs return to India falls in line with the recovery trend. As COVID-19 cases are reducing in many countries and curves are flattening fast in others, it helped elevate the confidence of foreign investors. After a sharp decline in March, FII outflow was tepid at the beginning of the new quarter, showing signs of recovery. 

A global trend of recovery

Overall, FII is showing signs of recovery – assisted by Federal Bank, European Central Bank, and other central banks for easing liquidity constrains and offering fiscal stimuli to revive businesses after lockdown. 

Government stimulus plan and moratorium also helped to boost the confidence of the investors. In the first week of June Rs 23,000 crore, which is close to 40 percent of the withdrawn funds has returned into the system. 

In a recent interview, veteran investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala also mentioned that he hopes that the government will increase expenditure after the lockdown lifts to help the economy bounce back. It will mark the beginning of a bullish phase in the market. Returning of FIIs is indicative of that. Easy global monetary policy is further paving the way with availibility of more funds in the hands of investors. 

Some experts, however, think it is a temporary phenomenon and might ebb as it has come. FII investors are investing because stocks are strong, but funds polarisation is likely to continue. Only a few strong stocks are expected to get the best from the increasing FPI volume while the rest of the economy might have to rely on domestic investors to pour in with funds. 

“Bulk of the FPI buying is concentrated in a few stocks. It will be fair to say that the buying is a bottom-up stock call rather than top-down macro buying. FPI capital is available in plenty for good companies, and this polarisation of flows is likely to continue,” – commented Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra AMC.

Amid rising volume of FIIs, Bajaj Finance, SBI, Tata Steel, ONGC and Titan were some of the top gainers in SENSEX. These stock prices have seen a good rise in value, gaining between 10 and 23 percent and helped NIFTY climb 9 percent in the last seven sessions. 

• A snapshot of the noteworthy factors that have triggered the reversal
• Increased global liquidity flow that has increased inflow of capital in the domestic market
• Government stimulus package has a positive impact on global investor confidence 
• Reduced CRR rate made funds cheaper and readily available for investment 
• An expected boost in loan recovery after RBI lifts the moratorium will also help the economy to bounce back
• Demand is likely to spike as economy and businesses open up 
• Huge capital inflow in forms of block deals by marquee investors are also responsible for pushing the bars higher for FPI (foreign portfolio investment)

FIIs back in India, but will they last

India is among the top gainers in FIIs; however, concerns remain over demand recovery, which will determine the fate of FII investment in the future. Some experts believe it might be only a temporary phase, caused by overselling by domestic investors. Overselling has made some of the premium stocks cheaper, which have attracted foreign investors to invest. They believe these shares will rally with the first signs of economic recovery. 

What to infer from this? How you, an investor, should react to the current situation? According to experts, this is the time to wait and watch. They advised investors to exercise caution and look at the risk-reward scenario carefully before making major investment decisions

5 ways to boost your English vocabulary while at home during Covid-19 lockdown

1. Utilise the power of online/digital platforms and gadgets

At present, there are several digital and interactive platforms that can help students & learners of all age groups to build their language skills at home.

One such example is the recent Pearson MyPedia skill on Amazon Alexa which offers a collection of engaging stories, fun facts, trivia and quizzes that help improve English vocabulary, listening, speaking, comprehension and storytelling. One just has to say "Alexa, open MyPedia" or simply, "Alexa, I want to learn English" to get started.

2. Start reading books

Reading books or novels is one of the best ways to improve one's vocabulary. While reading, one comes across new words and gains the curiosity to find its correct meaning which expands and improves his/her knowledge. It is recommended to keep a dictionary with self while reading so that as and when you read and come across new words, it becomes easier to refer to the dictionary, find its correct meaning and pronunciation.

Additionally, you can also take up specific vocabulary building books such as Norman Lewis' book 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary for a better understanding.

3. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks

Active and attentive listening also helps in building a strong vocabulary as listening is a skill which requires attention and picking out new words, noting them down and uncovering their meaning gives a great exposure.

Many good websites and apps now host podcasts where they hold interviews or talk about various things happening around the world. Listening to these will not only help you know what all is going on around the world but also improve your English skills, while at home.

4. Watch English classics or dramas

At a time when online streaming platforms have become the new reality for people to pass their time at home, one can opt to watch classic English movies, dramas or shows which will lead you to encounter new words and look for their meanings.

For a better understanding and knowledge, it is also suggested to maintain a journal and note down the new words and their meanings every time you learn them which will help you to memorise and use them in your daily vocabulary.

5. Play board games

Board games such as scrabble, word jumble, puzzles, crosswords etc. help reveal new words and guide you to develop good English vocabulary. Daily practice and using these new words in conversations can improve your memory, focus, vocabulary and also, cognitive skills. At present, one can play these games with their family or play them online with friends.

It has led to an explosion of new words and phrases that have suddenly become a part of our everyday lives. It then makes sense for us to also keep up with the rapidly changing language and do something productive while we are confined to our homes.

Greater emphasis on Training

Training tends to be focused on the needs and professional competencies of employees in the organization. This emphasis on training seeks to give the company a competitive edge in the global marketplace by highlighting diversity in employees.

Competing with large companies won’t solve the current issue; what local companies can do is evaluate and improve existing programs in their organization. Since globalization has given every job seeker the freedom to choose where to work, being proactive in providing employees an excellent work environment will save a company from high attrition.

Graphic Design

While having a formal background in graphic design is absolutely going to be helpful, it’s also relatively easy to learn the foundations of graphic design on your own. An increasingly easy-to-use Adobe Illustrator and even more easily accessible tools like Stencil and Visme are making it so that just about anyone with two opposable thumbs, a bit of creativity, and motivation can earn a side income doing things like designing (and selling) images like these motivational quotes that can be printed onto posters and sold on platforms like Etsy. Or you can find a local startup, small business owner, or photographer who could benefit from some extra help designing or altering images.

But before you can graduate from side business ideas and begin earning a full-time living as a graphic designer, you’ll need to build your skills—I recommend starting with reading the foundational book Graphic Design School and Steal Like an Artist, the incredible book by Austin Kleon about how to become more creative. To accelerate your education in becoming a graphic designer even quicker, check out the online courses Graphic Design Fundamentals and The Graphic Design Bootcamp. Then once you’re an expert at your craft, you can further your education and move up to offering more hands-on experiences like design sprints for higher-value clients around the world.

Get rid of distractions before they become distractions - Education

The biggest obstacle to doing well in school is distractions.

To overcome distractions, you can’t depend on willpower. Few of us have the willpower necessary to fight off all the distractions that surround us in this digital era.

Here are some ways to eliminate distractions before they become distractions:

• Turn off notifications on your phone/tablet
• Delete all the apps that distract you
• Put your phone/tablet in another room before you start work
• Set a really, really long password to unlock your phone/tablet
• Restrict your Internet access
• Have only one tab open in your browser at any one time
• Find an accountability partner as you make these changes

6 Reasons Why Users Uninstall Mobile Applications

Mobile application downloads are increasing at a rapid rate in 2020 and expected to go even higher in the coming years. You might be thinking this is good news and yes it is excellent news for the users, but as a business, you have to realize that there is so much competition now with so many applications in the market. It is difficult to grab the consumer’s attention and make them download the app, but downloading is just the first step for the application to be successful. 

User retention is a crucial factor that defines the app’s success, meaning people should come back to your mobile app on a daily basis after the download. According to the reports by Statista, the app uninstall rate in 2018 was the highest, and 32.5 % of entertainment apps were uninstalled just within a month of download. The reason why users uninstall the application can depend on so many factors, and here are some important reasons. 

Complex Sign-up/Login Process 

Users usually do not have the time and patience to sit through a long and tedious sign-up process. Make sure your application has a one-step sign-in procedure where users can easily log in to the application. 

Do not ask the consumers so many questions and information while signing-up, only ask the necessary ones. Also, please do not force them to use social media login when they are not comfortable with it. Simplicity is the best way to go. 

Do not Collide Users with Notifications and Emails. 

Mobile app developers clearly know that push notifications are a crucial factor for user engagement and user retention but do not overdo it by sending too many push notifications or emails. It is a massive turn-off for the users, and they do not hesitate to uninstall the mobile app. 

In-App Purchases 

The in-app purchases are a great way for businesses to earn good revenue from mobile applications. But make sure your in-app purchases are worth the money and do not charge for basic things that other apps do it for free. Too many in-app purchases will lead the users to uninstall apps. 

Slow Apps and Errors 

Nobody wants to use slow-phased mobile applications. People do not have the patience to sit through the entire loading process; they easily click out and uninstall the app. Therefore, developers should make sure that there are no errors or bug in the application that makes it slow or crash easily. Users prefer high-speed and high-quality mobile apps. 

Awful User Experience 

This should not come as a surprise to any mobile app development company. The user experience is a crucial factor in any mobile application for it to be successful, so focus on good UI/UX while developing mobile apps. Some of the reasons why your app lacks good UI/UX can be 

· Users not able to quickly find what they need 

· Complicated user flow 

· Low-quality images and too many unnecessary texts 

· Slow loading pages 

Application Updates 

Updates are an essential part of the mobile application if your app still uses the old features and has not been updated since forever then users easily hop on to a better application with latest features and error-free experience. Therefore, regularly update your mobile apps. 

The above are the six important reasons why users uninstall your applications, and there can be even more reasons depending upon your business and the complexity of the applications. Therefore, do thorough research on the audience and how they interact with different applications to develop an ideal mobile app. 

Strategies To Keep In Mind To Discover The Best SEO Agency To Enhance Your Business

Search engine optimization is crucial for any type of business. It should be carried out properly as it helps you to generate more leads. Hence it is necessary to choose the top-rated SEO Company In Chennai as they have SEO experts who implement the best SEO strategies in order to attain more revenue from the application by generating more number of leads. 

The following are the steps you should keep in mind before finalizing the SEO agency to improve your business. 

1) Sketch The Candidates : 

Creating a candidate list is a challenging part of why because choosing the right SEO agency is a crucial part. A lot of analysis goes into this high-end SEO agency may meet your needs that doesn't mean you have run out of options. You need to explore to choose the apt one for your business. Certainly, this means efficiency and efficacy matter the most. 

2) Check The Experience : 

Always keep in mind before you hire an SEO company, Experience is a key factor. So do thorough research before signing with one. Since it deals with finance and investment the more the experience the firm hold the more the better for your company. It aids in understanding the techniques and helps in your progress. 

3) Think Twice When They Do Big Promises : 

At times, the SEO companies might tell that they will satisfy all your needs within a short period. But no company can achieve this within the short term as it is a long term process. When the company offers many promises, you may tempt to accept unwanted extensive plans. Hence it is necessary to research properly about the company before finalizing it in order to avoid certain complications. 

4) Understand More About The Team : 

Teamwork is better, knowing all members of your team will eventually aid in speeding the process. And to be noted a team relationship should be fair without bias. This is tactic is pretty much useful in impressing you and exhibits an Idea that you are an important and potential client. But you have to know the risks once you become the client. Hence it is important to meet and to formally get to know your team members who will be working with you and who will be your main contact. 

Wrapping Up : 

The aforementioned pointers explained the necessity of undergoing proper research before finalizing the SEO agency. The SEO Company In Chennai carries out the best SEO techniques to enrich your business. Contact now!

Why Dating Apps must be Secure

When we speak about the present digital era, it is implicit that we know all about our friends through the power of social media. Social Media Platforms has evolved into a medium in which a majority of the people share and post everything related to their daily activities regularly. If you go and put forward a question to your friend asking about some details regarding you, they can very well give answers like your favourite food, your passionate sports and your past relationships etc. Nowadays, the power of social media has revolutionized to such an extent that people don't have any second thoughts of sharing all their personal feelings and everything else through the online world. 

But in the past, people were reluctantly shy to confess that they had dated through online means. This was mainly due to the misconception that online dating was a sort of platform used to find partners only related to casual flings. 

However, with the progress of time, that misconception has gradually disappeared and is now considered obsolete. Correspondingly with the ever-soaring popularity of dating apps like Tinder, Happn and the such, the recent few years have revealed that there is a great deal for using online dating apps. Furthermore, several of the online dating apps are synchronized with the social media platforms, and thereby people dating others can't hide the fact that they are involved in dating! 

The data that you use in all the dating apps must be rigorously safeguarded. Previously several dating apps were not re-enforced from all sorts of hacking activities and other security threats. Studies, as conducted by a reputed security firm, revealed that a majority of the dating apps did not feature even the integration of basis HTTPS encryption factors. To take a case if a user shared some image when connected with a public Wi-Fi network, all the other users who were connected with the network could see the pics and it cases could even insert their pictures with the picture stream. Furthermore, it is also possible that the hackers could find the location where the app users were based in. 

With the advent of powerful Tinder clone scripts and other such software, several of the dating apps have reinforced the security of themselves, and you can use the apps without any fear of the data being compromised or any hacking activities taking place. However, you ought to be wary and careful enough in revealing your personal information like work/personal email id, social media accounts and the such by using your real name etc. 

Conclusion: 

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to make an impact in the online dating business world, and if you're going to save a great deal of time and money, then we recommend you to purchase Tinderboxsolution's very own robust Tinder Clone Script. It comes packed with several innovative features that were not present in the original, world-famous Tinder app. Our clone script is known for being robustly secure. Check out our website https://www.tinderboxsolutions.net/ to know more. 

Author Bio: 

PrawinChandru is an entrepreneur and co-founder of the Canada based company Tinderboxsolutions. This enterprise has been reputed for delivering powerfully functioning clone products that are economically priced. Tinder clone apps are a domain in which the company has been very successful for quite a while, developing products based on varying market trends.

What is in Store for 5G in Mobile App Development?

In this year 2020, the 5G network has been a hot topic of every industry. The introduction of the 5G network will shape the future of technology and the way of living. The 5G is not an updated version of its previous network, but it is entirely its own league with new functions and infrastructure. 

Now, when it comes to mobile application development, the 5G is said to completely change the application game and allow developers and designers to go for complex and more sophisticated layouts. 5G offers faster data sharing for smartphone users which increases the demand for the mobile application to be more complex with functionalities and features. Here what’s in store for 5G mobile app development in the future. 

How is 5G going to shape the mobile app development in future? 

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the usage of mobile applications has never been this high. Since people cannot out anywhere, everybody has turned to the internet for entertainment, education and work. Even banking and transferring money through net banking has increased tremendously. 

At last, businesses and network companies realized that people are ready for 5G at this point in time. If mobile development companies create applications compatible with 5G, that will be a revolutionary change in technological development. 

5G Spaces 

If the network companies figure out a way to introduce the 5G into the general public, then it will be more profitable for the businesses. If once people get the taste of fast internet connection, there is no going back to the 4G. Many companies can attract more people to visit their spaces or stores if they offer 5G wifi connections, hence the beginning of 5G spaces or smart spaces. 

The businesses can earn more revenue by incorporating 5G network in public places such as airports, metro stations and shopping malls, where there is the most number of the general public in normal times. 

Smart gadgets and devices 

When people think about the word “smart”, they always think about smartphones, and yes smartphones contribute a lot when it comes to consumption of the internet. But the future might be slightly different. Many industry experts say that people will be using many other smart gadgets and devices, especially the wearable ones in the future. 

Many mobile development companies should make their applications capable of adjusting to these smart wearable devices because these devices may slowly replace the smartphone culture. 

Mobile development companies should focus on security. 

More data usage means more risks and opportunities for security breaching and that is why it is high time that mobile development companies focus on the security aspect of the applications more. The use of 5g will lead to more information sharing and data collection, which attracts a lot of hackers to hack all the information easily. 

Especially medical and healthcare-related applications need more security than ever to safeguard all information. The mobile app companies should produce high-performance applications yet with powerful security elements to withstand the competition and demands of the general public. 

In summary, the 5g network can do a lot to the mobile app development industry and may even shake up the conventional methods and make them adapt to new and fast phased development. The new 5g network will be beneficial to both the businesses and consumers if mobile applications are built compatible with the speed of the network, and it will shape many technologies in the future including the mobile app development. 

Author Bio 

Monish Sinthala, CEO of Pyramidion Solutions one of the well-established Mobile app development company in Chennai , and he wants to enhance the mobile app development with new technologies and tools and produce cutting-edge solutions to clients.

How Flutter Has Become a Pacesetter in Mobile App Development

Flutter is a Software Development Kit for mobile applications developed by Google. Flutter was created to develop applications in both IOS and Android using a single code base with high performance and design. 

Dart 

Dart is the programming language used by Flutter. It is a simple language that is easy to grasp, optimized for building UI and runs fast on all platforms. 

Reload 

Hot reload helps you to quickly add features, fix bugs and build UIs. It includes updated source code files into the running Dart VM. The result of the changes can be seen instantly in your running application. 

Flutter Development- Widgets 

Widgets are classes that are used to build UIs and comprise almost everything in Flutter. The layout models, text, images and icons are all widgets in Flutter. It uses a hierarchy structure starting with a layout widget and can be nested. 

First select your layout widget based on your choice of alignment of your visible widget. For example: Center for center alignment of your content horizontally or vertically 

Create a visible widget that appears on your application. For example: you can create a text, image or icon widget. Then add the visible widget to the layout widget. Finally add the layout widget to the specified page. Simple widgets can be used to build complex widgets. This makes it easier to construct a large and complex application in Dart. 

Firebase in Flutter 

Firebase is used in backend services for your mobile applications such as authentication, storage and databases. If your team doesn’t have adequate number of backend developers then firebase can be the right choice for your mobile application development. 

Structural design and Management Tools 

When flutter was first introduced many developers were not able to fully depend on the structure and management tools of the framework and but as the time passed by, flutter was improved and was reaching new advancements. This led to many developers using this application for complex and intricate mobile application development. 

Now many developers are comfortable to use different APIs, data flows and more complex architectures in developing sophisticated mobile applications through Flutter. Now, Flutter is capable of managing difference designs and management tools due to its constant advancements. 

Operating System 

As we all know Flutter used a single-code base for application development in both android and iOS platform. For any business digital presence is an important aspect and with native application development it is expensive to develop and launch application in both the operation system. 

But, with the help of Flutter developers can create applications in both the platforms using only single code which saves a lot of time and expenses. We now can say that, Flutter can deliver high quality mobile applications in a cost effective way. 

Flutter Layouts 

The Flutter allows the developers to create and integrate layouts easily. It also allows the developers to create smooth user interface and user experience for mobile applications. 

Author Bio 

Monish Sinthala is business person and owns one of the well-reputed Mobile app development companies in Chennai and his vision is to develop and deliver innovative mobile app solutions that transfigure the mobile app development industry.

Bathroom Paint Color Idea

Using colorful paint can be intimidating, but choosing something adventurous and fun can have been style pay-off. This is especially true in smaller spaces like bathrooms and powder rooms. Even if you're not planning a remodel anytime soon, you will definitely want to repaint your bathroom once you see the colorful bathrooms ahead. Whether you want to go all-over bold, add a subtle accent, or incorporate pattern, we've got bathroom paint color ideas to get you inspired. No boring bathrooms here.

Ads of the World

More an advertising art gallery than a blog, Ads of the World is aptly named. You can scroll through thousands of ads from almost every nation and topic.

If you need visual inspiration for your next project, this site is your first stop. The website has four sections, Latest Ads, Top Ads, Collections, and Student Ads. Every section has separate groups. In the Collections section, for example, you’ll find groups titled, “Best April Fool’s Day Ads,” “Stylish and Social Seniors,” “Girl Power in Advertising,” “Great Minimalist Ads,” and many more.

There is no better way to get your creative agency juices flowing than by spending time here. You may want to set a timer because it’s hard to leave.