General and Administrative
Our operating expenses include general and administrative expenses, including legal, accounting, and other expenses related to corporate governance, public reporting and compliance with the various provisions of securities laws. Increases or decreases in our operating expenses will impact our overall financial performance.
Income From Unconsolidated Entities, Net
We have two investments in unconsolidated entities that are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Our income or loss from these investments is reported in our condensed consolidated statement of operations as income (loss) from unconsolidated entities, net.
Market Conditions
The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed global economic activity, caused significant volatility in financial markets and negatively impacted most commercial real estate property types. The responses of many countries, including the United States, to the pandemic have included mandatory quarantines, restrictions on business activities, including construction activities, restrictions on group gatherings, restrictions on travel and mandatory closures. These actions are creating disruption in the global economy and supply chains and adversely impacting many industries, including owners of real estate. Moreover, there is significant uncertainty around the breadth and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19, as well as its impact on the U.S. economy and consumer confidence. There is continued uncertainty regarding the trajectory of a continuing recovery, particularly given the strength of variants of COVID-19. Accordingly, this recovery remains uneven with dispersion across sectors and regions. Occupier demand and property valuations are dependent on a variety of macroeconomic factors, such as employment levels, interest rates, changes in stock market valuations, rent levels and availability of competing space. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our results will depend on future developments, many of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the implementation of vaccines to combat and eventually bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Business disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our tenants’ ability to pay rent, our ability to lease vacant space, and our ability to complete development and redevelopment projects. These consequences, in turn, could materially impact our results of operations.
Competitive Environment
We face competition from a diverse mix of market participants, including but not limited to, other REITs, pension funds, insurance companies, investment funds and companies, partnerships and developers. Competition from others may diminish our opportunities to acquire a desired investment on favorable terms or at all. In addition, the competition we face may put pressure on us to reduce the rental rates for the properties that we acquire below those that we expect to charge, which would adversely affect our financial results.
Proposed Changes to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”)
In 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of the LIBOR benchmark after 2021. This announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR will not be guaranteed after 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the New York Fed to help ensure a successful transition from LIBOR, has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is the rate that represents best practice as the alternative to LIBOR for use in derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR from LIBOR, and organizations are currently working on industry wide and company specific transition plans as it relates to derivatives and cash markets exposed to LIBOR. Further, on March 5, 2021, the FCA announced that December 31, 2021 will be the cessation date for one week and two month U.S. Dollar (“USD”) LIBOR. The FCA also set June 30, 2023 as the cessation date for the other five tenors (overnight and one, three, six and twelve months) of USD LIBOR.
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