Released on: September 28, 2008, 10:59 pm

Press Release Author: Opalesque Ltd.

Industry: Financial

Press Release Summary: Opalesque, the world's largest subscription-based publisher
on alternative investments, has launched a free, daily publication covering the
global real estate markets. The new “Opalesque Real Estate Briefings” follow the
popular Opalesque “Briefing” format and offer a quick and complete oversight on real
estate, important news related to that sector as well as commentaries and research
in 28 detailed categories.

Press Release Body: New York, September 29, 2008 -- Opalesque, the world's largest
subscription-based publisher on alternative investments, has launched a free, daily
publication covering the global real estate markets. The new “Opalesque Real Estate
Briefings” follow the popular Opalesque “Briefing” format and offer a quick and
complete oversight on real estate, important news related to that sector as well as
commentaries and research in 28 detailed categories. The service can be subscribed
as daily email newsletter or by RSS feed at
http://www.opalesque.com/Realestate_Briefing.

Sovereign Wealth Funds Pick Up The Pieces, Pension Funds Increase Property Allocation

In the U.S., sales of commercial property in the office sector have fallen by more
than 70% since last year. Bank lending has dried up and the securitized market for
commercial mortgages is completely frozen. In a recent survey, most real estate
experts polled did not expect the market for commercial mortgage-backed securities
to return until at least 2011. Meanwhile, prices have fallen over 10%, compared with
a 40% fall during the S&L crisis.

On the residential property side, figures from Las Vegas, the poster child of the
current real estate woes, reveal an interesting counter-trend. While condo prices
were sinking 35%, sales are up 35% from a year earlier, continuing an upswing that
has (so far) lasted eight months. According to the Chicago Tribune, local real
estate experts attribute this trend to the huge numbers of foreclosures on the
market; two-thirds of all sales are bank owned and tend to be cheaper.

The current banking crisis, combined with the problems facing US investors, offer
international investors powerful opportunities. Particularly for sovereign wealth
funds which have started to pick up the pieces. A survey from law firm DLA Piper
suggested that nearly one in five real estate professionals had been involved in
deals which included sovereign wealth funds.

Free Daily Updates In 28 Detailed News Categories

In the light of these trends and opportunities, investors, asset managers, bankers,
developers, lawyers, agents, property consultants, government & state officials, and
other realty service providers have found a new favorite daily read: the new
Opalesque Real Estate Briefing.

Compiled by the Opalesque team, the Real Estate Briefings offer daily insights on:

 Commercial and Residential Property Watch
 Diverse and in-depth regional focus on: Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe,
Middle East and Africa
 Construction, Green Construction, Developers
 Emerging Trends, Market Moves
 Fund Profiles, REITs, ETFs, IPOs/Stock Market, Private Equity, Performance
 Mortgage
 Legal, Regulatory, M&A
 People
 Research Updates, Analysis and Commentaries

Already 1800 Articles Archived

Almost 1800 real estate related articles and research in 28 detailed news categories
can be already retrieved from the Opalesque Real Estate Briefing website:
http://www.opalesque.com/Realestate_Briefing/

Opalesque's experienced staff monitors the news and global markets carefully to
present this essential daily update in the popular Opalesque “Briefing” format. The
service can be subscribed as daily email newsletter or by RSS feed.

The Opalesque Real Estate Briefing publication is overseen by Laxman Pai, who is
part of Opalesque's Asia team. Laxman has over ten years of professional experience
in financial and international journalism and the media industry. He was Executive
Editor for India Wealth News and India Investment News and also contributed to
global industry publications like Investment & Pensions Asia, The Wealth Net,
Financier Worldwide magazine, Global Investing, Asia Risk, International Pension
News, Global Pensions etc. His academic credentials include a Bachelor in Science
in Physics, Master of Arts in English Literature, Post Graduate Diploma in
Journalism and an Honorary Doctorate in Journalism from the Cosmopolitan University,
Missouri, USA.

About Opalesque:

In 2003, with the publication of its daily Alternative Market Briefing, Opalesque
successfully launched an information revolution in the hedge fund media space:
"Opalesque changed the world by bringing transparency where there was opacity and by
delivering an accurate professional reporting service." - Nigel Blanchard, Culross.
This hybrid financial news service, which combines proprietary industry news stories
and filtered third party reports, has been credited by many industry insiders with
delivering precise, accurate, and vital information to a notoriously guarded
audience.

Each week, Opalesque publications are read by more than 500,000 industry
professionals in over 100 countries. Opalesque is the only daily hedge fund
publisher which is actually read by the elite managers themselves
(http://www.opalesque.com/op_testimonials.html).

About Opalesque Publications:

Alternative Market Briefing is a daily newsletter on the global hedge fund industry,
highly praised for its completeness and timely delivery of the most important daily
news for professionals dealing with hedge funds. Alternative Market Briefing offers
both a quick overview and in-depth coverage. Subscribers can also access the
industry’s largest news archive (29,000+ articles) on hedge funds and related
topics.

A SQUARE is the first web publication, globally, that is dedicated exclusively to
alternative investments. A SQUARE's weekly selections feature unique investment
opportunities that bear virtually no correlation to the main stream hedge fund
strategies and/or distinguish themselves by virtue of their "alternative" motive –
for instance, social or behavioral strategies or those focused on natural resources
or sustainable/environment-related investing.

With its "research that reveals" approach, fast facts and investment oriented
analysis, A SQUARE offers diversification and complementary ideas for private, high
net-worth and institutional investors, pension funds and endowments, portfolio and
hedge fund managers.

Technical Research Briefing delivers three times a week a global
perspective/overview on all major markets, including equity indices, fixed Income,
currencies, and commodities. Opalesque Technical Research is unique compared to most
available research which is fundamental in nature and not technically (chart)
oriented.

Commodities Briefing is a free, daily publication covering the global commodities
markets. The Opalesque Commodities Briefings follow the popular Opalesque
“Briefing” format and offer a quick and complete oversight on commodities and
commodity-related news and research in 26 detailed categories.

Opalesque Roundtable Series: In an Opalesque Roundtable, some of the leading hedge
fund managers (single and multi strategy managers) as well as representatives of the
local investor base (institutions, fund of funds, advisers) are united to gain
unique insights into the specific idiosyncrasies and developments, as well as the
issues and advantages of specific global hedge fund centers.

Through the series, hedge fund investors looking for new talent, a hedge fund
interested in diversifying its investor base service providers looking for new
clients will all get to know some of the leaders in each hedge fund center and will
find invaluable information and intelligence without any travel involved.

For more information, please go to http://www.opalesque.com


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