Alternative Investing Report - January 7, 2026

*as of 1/6; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, CL50

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its 2026 outlook for the U.S. housing market, predicting an uptick in housing sales. New home construction is ticking up, and in concert with higher inventory and potentially lower mortgage rates, housing affordability should continue to improve. This combination of factors should help jumpstart the market for buyers, though for sellers, housing prices themselves are likely to only rise slightly, and may not keep pace with inflation.

➨ TAKEAWAY: If market activity does start to heat up, it could push some renters towards ownership, which would affect the multifamily market. Though multifamily is generally bucketed with commercial, its outlook is often related to residential, as housing and rent prices go hand in hand, and investors often target multifamily buildings rather than single family houses. Rents are also projected to grow at a rate below inflation, and buyers could find some opportunities if sellers start to get desperate.

Join us on Tuesday — January 13 — in Manhattan to talk private markets and real estate investing, and predictions for 2026. We’ll hear insightful commentary from Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin and Lightstone SVP Sanford Blumenthal, as we sip, nibble, and look ahead to the year to come. Requests will be reviewed for approval, and space is limited, so request an invitation today.

🎰 Polymarket takes on housing: The prediction market is getting into the housing price forecasting game, partnering with on-chain real estate platform Parcl to allow users to bet on price movements in certain U.S. cities. If the product works well, it could let investors who cannot afford property to benefit from price appreciation in certain markets.

🎨 Art-backed loan defaults: Private art-backed loans have seen a spike in default rates as the falling art market of the past few years has put pressure on borrowers. These headwinds could potentially lead to a greater supply of cheaper artwork if owners are forced to sell or lenders take possession of items.

⚾ New sales record for Heritage: The major auction house recorded $2.15 billion in sales in 2025, the fifth straight year it has set a new record, and a 15% gain over 2024. Notable sales included the most expensive sports card of all-time — $12.9 million for a Kobe/Jordan Dual Logoman — and the most expensive ever comic book — $9 million for Superman #1.

⚡ Venezuelan oil projects: In the wake of the U.S. removing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro from office, former top Chevron exec Ali Moshiri is raising $2 billion for oil-related projects in the country, an example of the kinds of opportunities that could become available in what is sure to be a high-risk, high-reward environment.

🚀 Cambium fundraise: The defense and aerospace materials startup is raising a $100 million funding round at an undisclosed valuation, a major step forward from its $19 million Series A two years ago.

💰 Silver dollar auction: One of only sixteen known examples of the Adams-Carter 1804 Class III Draped Bust dollar, aka “The King of Silver Dollars,” is being auctioned next week and is expected to fetch in excess of $1 million.

The crypto market has gotten off to a roaring start in 2026, with Bitcoin up 5% in the past week and many major coins seeing double-digit gains. Of the eight coins in the top-100 by market cap that saw 40% gains or greater, four are meme coins - Pepe, Bonk, Pudgy Penguins, and Floki. The MarketVector Meme coin index is up 32.2% in the past week overall, though even with this recent bump it is down 62% over the past year after peaking in July. The movement in the past week can be read in two ways - it’s either a sign that people are taking gains from more stable coins to take on more risk, which is a bullish indicator, or that the market is already getting too frothy, which is a bearish indicator. Either way, putting money into memecoins is essentially gambling, and anyone doing so should be prepared for wild price swings.