Alternative Investing Report - March 25, 2025

*as of 3/24; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, CL50

After a few years of double-digit appreciation, the growth of farmland values has started to slow down, and President Trump’s tariff policies could slow it down further. Trump’s tariffs in 2018 and 2019 led to agricultural export losses of more than $27 billion, which led to farmland values declining or staying flat in Iowa and Illinois until 2020. However, since then, farmland values have risen by more than 30% in both states.

➨ TAKEAWAY: Farmland is a long-term investment and has shown itself to be resilient during economic downturns. If values do decline in response to Trump’s tariffs, it could be a good buying opportunity for investors who are willing to hold long enough to experience the likely turnaround.

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Enterprise SaaS (software-as-a-service) startups received $28.6 billion in funding in Q4, a significant gain of 54.7% compared to Q3, and the highest quarter in nearly two years, though nearly half of that came from OpenAI and xAI’s megarounds. Deal count also rose by 3.4% in the quarter, and exit activity was the highest since 2021. Nearly three-quarters of the total funding went to late-stage and venture-growth deals, with early stage and seed/pre-seed companies only receiving around 15% of the capital.

➨ TAKEAWAY: Enterprise SaaS is a huge addressable market with many different niches and the common theme of recurring revenue and high potential profit margins. The sector saw a slowdown alongside the greater VC fundraising drought, but the results of Q4 could augur a strong 2025, especially for later-stage startups.

🚀 StubHub files for IPO: The ticket-selling platform is planning to go public on the New York Stock Exchange, and saw their revenue increase by 30% in 2024, but posted a slight net loss.

🎬 Sotheby’s film memorabilia auction: Among the lots at an upcoming auction of special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi’s collection are a model of E.T. expected to sell for $600,000-$900,000 and posters for the classic films “The Black Cat,” “Frankenstein,” and “Dracula” all expected to fetch six figures.

🏢 CRE distress rates: Of the top 50 metro areas in the U.S., Minneapolis, Providence, and Rochester have the highest rates of distressed CRE loans, while San Diego and Salt Lake City have the lowest rates.

🪙 World Liberty Financial stablecoin: The Trump-backed crypto project launched USD1, a new stablecoin on both the Ethereum and BNB chains.

🏡 Top seller’s markets: With the peak time to sell approaching, Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago are the top three seller’s markets when looking at views per property and average number of days on the market before selling.

💵 Private credit and the NCAA: As college athletic programs look for sources of capital to compensate their players an estimated $2 billion per year, private lenders could seize the opportunity for a new market.

A “gingerbread house” originally built in 1870 on Martha’s Vineyard is on the market for a relatively affordable $749,000, compared to the county’s median list price of $2.55 million. It’s because of the size - but the 725 square-foot two-story house does have 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a private courtyard and patio. Potential buyers should be aware that this is meant as a summer home only - there is no heating system currently installed.