Alternative Investing Report - April 30, 2026

*as of 4/29; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

As expected, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged in what is likely to be Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s last meeting in charge. It was a contentious decision, with four dissents, the most since 1992. One dissenter preferred a quarter-point cut, while the other three agreed with holding the rate, but not with the language of the statement that implied cuts may be coming in the future. Though the move was likely priced in by traders, the Dow Jones Index was down 0.6% and the crypto market as a whole lost around 1%.

➨ TAKEAWAY: This is the third straight meeting where the Fed has decided not to cut rates, with inflation and the Iran War looming over the economy. The CME FedWatch tool now predicts that the chances of a cut are only around 5% during the rest of the year, with the chances of a rate hike around 15%, even though Powell has said rate hikes are not on the table. The market is expecting the status quo, at least through the end of 2026, so investors should stop hoping for a rate cut and adjust to the current reality.

Vincent CEO Eric Cantor, Homeshares co-founder Jesse Stein, Groundfloor CEO Brian Dally, and Lightstone Head of Capital Formation Jonathan Spitz discuss the different opportunities for investors across real estate.

🏡 Housing starts surge: In March, residential construction starts increased 10.8% monthly, to their highest level in more than a year. Single-family starts were up 9.7% monthly and 8.9% year-over-year while multifamily starts rose 13.3% monthly and 15.5% year-over-year.

🏡 But building permits fell: On the other hand, permits fell by 10.8% monthly, the exact same amount starts increased, and by 7.4% year-over-year. That was the largest monthly decline since November 2022, and overall permits were well below expectations. Permits come before starts in the construction process, so they are a leading indicator that shows that construction will eventually start slowing again.

🤖 Another AI megaround: Ineffable Intelligence, an AI startup just a few months old, raised a $1.1 billion funding round at a $5.1 billion valuation, as it aims to create an AI model that can “learn” without human input. Ineffable Intelligence was founded by David Silver, formerly a leading AI researcher at the Google-owned company DeepMind.

🚀 Seed stage funding: Funding rounds at the seed stage are now bigger than ever, on average, but deal counts have fallen significantly. More than half of seed-stage dollars went to rounds of $10 million or more in 2025, but total rounds fell to the lowest level since 2019.

💵 Canada’s sovereign wealth fund: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an $18 billion government-owned investment fund, the first of its kind in the country. It will initially focus on domestic investments, but will likely expand its footprint as time goes on.

🎨 $60 million Lichtenstein: The 1964 painting “Anxious Girl” by the famed Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein is the headliner at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York next month. The painting is one of only 10 comic-inspired female portraits Lichtenstein created and has been out of public view for three decades. It carries a eye-popping $60 million estimate.

In what is likely to become more commonplace, the popular American conservative influencer Emily Hart was unmasked as the AI creation of a 22 year-old man. A medical student in India admitted to being behind the Hart account, which posted “something pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-woke, and anti-immigration” every day and racked up millions of views. The student racked up thousands of dollars in revenue before Hart’s Instagram account was finally banned for “fraudulent activity.” This is far from the only AI content duping people on social media, and it’s important to understand that nothing can be believed online, especially if it’s an attractive young woman asking for money.